Ai Metalworks
by SwiftDragonfly
Summary: Ayami and her sister went to school to become heroes, even though their parents are villains. The hero thing didn't work out- but can they manage to stay on the right side of the law, at least? Katsukixoc, Tenyaxoc.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is a silly fanfic I wrote after watching Boku No Hero. Most of this was written after watching the first season. I haven't read the manga or done too much research into the anime/manga, so I'm sure that I got some details wrong. Sorries.

Katsuki ended up being on the asexual spectrum, which was fun to write. :)

 **Warnings:** Death, violence, and sex is mentioned/hinted at.

 **Summary:** Ayami and her sister went to school to become heroes, even though their parents are villains. The hero thing didn't work out- but can they manage to stay on the right side of the law, at least? Katsukixoc, Tenyaxoc.

 **Part 1**

 _Introduction_

Ayami stepped onto the battlefield.

She was set to fight Katsuki Bakugou.

The crowd cheered in anticipation as the narrator said their names and a small tidbit about them. Meanwhile, Bakugou and Ayami faced each other, mentally preparing themselves for the fight.

Ayami's hands were in her pockets, and her feet were slightly wider than usual, to prepare herself for a sudden attack. In the last round she watched him take out his opponents by launching himself head first into them, and knew that he had a history of running into situations without knowing all the details.

In general, she preferred to keep her abilities discrete and not overuse them, in order to keep the element of surprise. For other reasons, she could never let her full quirk be seen. Especially not here.

Bakugou was powerful, had great reflexes, and would be one of the strongest people she'd ever faced. She needed every advantage she could get.

"Ayaaaa!" A high pitched voice screamed from the stands, and caused Ayami's entire body to stiffen. "You should marry him! You'd make such cute babies!"

The blood drained from her cheeks and she turned, seeing her sister hopping around and spewing fire in the air without a care in the world.

 _So much for the element of surprise._ Ayami thought bitterly.

"Oh hey! You're the girl that survived that attack last year!" Someone yelled and pointed at her.

When she looked back at Bakugou, he still had that weird look on his face. He was ugly, and she didn't understand why Ashita was trying to hook them up.

The referee indicated for them to start, and Bakugou was already running at her.

She ran, too, and when he tried to throw a punch at her, she twisted and leapfrogged over him, spewing a tiny bit of fire at his shoulder. The small place ignited, confirming the rumors she'd heard about how his quirk worked.

Landing, she skidded to a halt, and then jumped back to avoid the blunt of his firey punch.

"Your sweat is ignitable, huh?" She asked with a smirk as she hopped away, able to see him through the smoke.

"So?" He asked as he threw another hit, and the flames went outward to envelope her.

In the flames, Ayami threw a punch at him, landing on his sternum and sending him a few steps back.

She went at him again, but this time he deflected and tried to hit back. Both of them exchanged and dodged each other's blows, and all the while, Bakugou got increasingly angry at the lack of progression he made.

1.

After the game, Ayami cracked her neck, sitting in the bleachers next to her sister and the rest of their class.

"You did great, sis!" Ashita yelled and hugged, trying to cheer her up.

"I lost." Ayami muttered, and sighed tiredly. If she'd fought almost anyone other than him… someone who's abilities weren't so close to her own…

"Mom and dad would be proud." Ashita assured, and Ayami grunted bitterly.

 _They can go fuck themselves._ Ayami thought bitterly.

"Come on, you know that you would have won if you hadn't held back. And you didn't lose the fight, you just stepped out of bounds." Ashita spoke, trying to cheer her up.

"That doesn't make this okay." Ayami said, and glanced over at class 1A.

If Ayami hadn't missed the entrance exam, then she probably would have gotten into that class. She only got into the school because of a recommendation- a weak one, at that. At the very least, Ayami was able to get into the same class as her sister... that was something.

They were about to start the next match, which should be a promising one, but Ayami had no interest in watching. She'd watch a clip online later to see their moves.

"Where are you going?" Ashita asked when her sister stood up.

"Water." Ayami answered simply.

"But sis…" Ashita said, trailing off as Ayami walked away.

She kept her hands in her pockets as she watched and ignored the cheers ringing out. People screamed, yelled to support their favorite student, and other random things. Some of the heroes were making commentary.

There was too much energy in the air. Too much sound.

She needed some space to think, and evaluate how to fight better in the future. She needed to fight better- be better.

If she wanted to save other people, she needed to be stronger than her best.

As she roamed the halls, she was surprised by how many people were wearing cloaks. Sure, in the superhero business there were quite a few heroes who prefer to stay in the shadows, but as she walked she noticed at least 7 of them. Assuming that they were for security, she didn't think much of them, until suddenly she was surrounded by them.

All around her, about 7 cloaked figures stood, blocking her exit. No one else was in the hallway except for them.

She was surrounded.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ayami asked.

"We have a proposition for you." One of them spoke in front of her. "Work for us, and we will forgive the debt that your father accued with us."

She blinked, processing what they were telling her, and a cold chill ran down her spine as the realization slowly befell her. The screams of her mother and father echoed through her head, and she quickly removed her hands from her pockets.

They were going to fight.

Something shot from the mouth of one of them, and Ayami spit her explosive saliva on it. Their tongue, or so she guessed, exploded and the owner cried out in pain.

She ran forward and grabbed the front of one of them, quickly turning them to use as a shield and head butted that human shield with another to knock them out.

2.

Bakugou was still reeling after watching the fight.

There were a lot of feelings for him to sort through for that day. People constantly challenging him, briefly winning, coming in third place… Bakugou was powerful, the strongest, and no one truly recognized just how powerful he was.

On top of that, everyone was giving him shit for 'acting like a villain.' All day today, he'd actually been holding back and fighting fairly, yet people were accusing him of fighting dirty. He barely held his own against that Ayami girl, and yet everyone was giving him shit for not holding back when fighting a girl.

To his further chagrin, he could tell that _she_ was holding back. That wasn't a real win, and he could feel it. More than that, _she_ knew that he didn't really win, and that bothered him even more.

He was powerful. He was strong. He was going to kick everyone's fucking ass in order to prove that he was the best there was.

While everyone was chatting away about the last match, he heard something from the doorway, and glanced over in that direction. There were grunts, a loud bump here and there, and the sounds were becoming irksome.

He was about to get up and tell them to knock it off, when a large body suddenly came flying out of the doorway and toppled to the ground.

A second human stumbled back with his arms in front of him, defending himself, and a third person was fighting him. They prepared their punch, pulling their arm back, and landed a punch that caused her opponent to disappear in a blur.

The railing broke. Some of the steps cracked and broke off.

Across the field, just a half second later, a boom erupted and there was smoke.

Another grunt nearby got his attention again, and he watched the person twist as someone attacked them, and sent them tumbling off the same edge that she'd just created by throwing the other person.

"Shit! She's in the stadium!" Someone yelled in the hallway, a cloaked figure that quickly grabbed another and started running.

"What's going on? Are you hurt, Ayami?!" Iida asked, being the first to get up and investigate.

Bakugou looked back across the stadium, where the smoke was, and realized that she'd single-handedly thrown that person over a hundred yards.

"You were holding back, you piece of shit!" Bakugou yelled as he stood, pissed off by the knowledge.

Ayami looked up at him, her yellow eyes darkening to a deep brown, and he saw some markings on her skin disappear.

"I'm fine, thanks." Ayami said to Iida.

Bakugou clenched his fists in rage.

3.

7 years later

The stadium was packed, just like 7 years ago.

UA was hosting a charity event. People with quirks of all skill levels were coming together to compete in games. Companies and small businesses were sponsoring the event, and on that list of contributors, was Ai Metalworks.

Ayami and Ashita were competing, and they wore their business's logo and merchandise.

The first event was a simple race. There was going to be two races: the hero run and the civilian run. The hero run encouraged quirks, especially from heroes, while the civilian run banned the use of quirks. Heroes were also not allowed to compete in the civilian one.

Ashita would be competing in the civilian one. Since she was 2 months pregnant she wouldn't win.

Ayami would be competing in the hero one, even though she wasn't a hero. She was a metal smith that worked out too much and had way too much experience fighting villains.

While waiting for the first event to start, the sisters stood together and chatted with their old friends from high school. There were a lot of heroes competing in this, and a lot of agencies wanted to be part of this competition for publicity. Many of the competitors were students from this school.

While Ashita got distracted by her husband and made kissy face with him, Ayami looked around to find any of her old friends to chat with.

To her horror, instead of finding a friend, she accidentally locked eyes with a man giving her the worst stink eye she'd ever seen.

A chill ran down her spine and she wanted to look away, but those red eyes kept her attention. No matter how much dread filled inside, she couldn't look away, and she had the sinking feeling that he was going to cause problems for her.

After 7 years, he was still pissed at her.

Bakugou had become a famous hero and proved himself to be exceptionally powerful. Yet, as she kept staring at him, she knew that he hadn't changed much from the 14 year old she fought in her freshman year in high school. He still hated her for holding back in their fight. He probably still hated Totodoki, too.

To her dismay, those angry red eyes started getting closer, and she had to refrain from punching him when he got within distance of doing so. Only villains usually gave her that look, and that was right before trying to dismember her.

Physically, he'd grown. He was taller now, still had the hair of a bird's nest, and powerful lean muscle. He wore a t-shirt with his agency's logo and black shorts.

"Long time no see." Bakugou stated in a low voice, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Katsuki!" Ashita exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, and promptly pulled him into a hug. A dark blush appeared on his face and he hastily tried to gently push her off. "It's been too long, Katsuki!"

"Would you fuck off?" Bakugou requested awkwardly, which caused Ayami to chuckle. He sent her another dirty glare.

"It's been too long, Bakugou. Are you seeing anyone now?" Ashita asked, smiling up at him as she took a step back. Tenya put an arm around her shoulders and gave a friendly smile to his old classmate.

"I don't give a shit about dating." Bakugou said with a roll of his eyes. "Never have, never will."

"You and Ayami are so alike. She doesn't want to date people, either. Such a shame." Ashita said not-so-subtly.

Ayami didn't date for multiple reasons, but those reasons weren't exactly her choice. She couldn't date because it would put their life in danger, and she was busy enough as it was protecting herself and the shop. Dating would be too much.

"If you hold back again, I'll kick your ass." Bakugou told Ayami, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I didn't hold back. You were the better fighter." Ayami said with a shrug.

"I am the better fighter, but I can't prove that when people fight me half-assed."

"Ka-chan, take it easy. This is just a charity event." Midoria said, and his appearance caused Bakugou's disposition to worsen.

"Fuck you, nerd." Bakugou told him.

"Hey," A new voice spoke, accompanied by a tap on Ayami's shoulder. She turned and looked up, surprised to see class 1A's old teacher, Eraser Head. "Are you busy after the event? I was hoping to talk to you or your sister about something."

"What about?" Ayami asked.

"There has been an increase in guns getting into the city, and I wanted to ask some questions about different types of metal. I've gotten information about the chemistry of them, but I was hoping that you could give me other details, like how they can be applied in certain situations." Eraser Head explained.

"I can help you after the games." Ashita spoke up. "I experiment with more metals than Ayami does, so I would probably be better help."

"Great, I would appreciate that." Eraser Head said with a nod, and then walked off.

4.

That night, Ayami sat in the front of the metal shop, leaning back in her seat with the front two legs up. A phone was in her hands, perusing the latest news, and she kept an ear out for customers.

Usually by this hour, no one showed up. They just liked staying open this long for consistency reasons, and Ayami didn't mind being here for a couple of hours. She enjoyed the silence.

Their shop was divided into two parts: the front half, which is where they sold merchandise, and then the back half, which was the size of a small warehouse. The back was filled with all of their equipment, metal working stations, and so forth. That was also where they taught all of their classes.

All was quiet, as usual, until the bell rung on the front door.

The cold and icy glare of Katsuki Bakugou entered her shop, and she nearly dropped her phone.

"Why are you here?" She asked him.

"I want you to make me a fucking hero suit. Iida said you're good at it." He did, and shut the door behind him a little too hard. The jewelry in front of the window jingled.

"I don't make hero suits." Ayami responded calmly.

"He said that he saw your work. He said it looked top notch. He also said that you need business."

Ayami silently clenched her jaw, having a feeling that her sister found her gear and showed it to her husband, and that concerned her. She'd need to move her gear to her apartment upstairs to keep Ashita from showing that to other people.

"I'm not licenced to make hero costumes. What my sister showed Tenya, without my permission, was probably my private collection. It's for show, not actual use."

"Then why are you wearing it right now?"

Ayami glanced down at herself, wondering what he was talking about, and saw part of her forearm guard glinting against the light.

She always wore loose clothes in order to wear her guards unnoticed. On rare occasions when she relaxed, sometimes the sleeve rode up a tiny bit.

"Why would you want me to make you a costume, anyway? I told you that I'm not licensed. I have no training."

"You still fight, and you still train. If you're making gear to hide under your clothes, that means that you regularly wear your gear, so you'll be better at designing a costume than most designers." Bakugou reasoned.

"I'm your last resort, huh?" Ayami asked, and watched his shoulders fall. In an instant, that confident demeanor faded, and was replaced by a tired and dejected one. "Did you threaten your last costume designer, or something?"

"All heroes nowadays are going to freelance designers who customize their costumes. The other freelancers I've gone to have turned me down or their designs are shit."

"What non-freelancers? Name brand people?"

"Their costumes are too regulated and safe. They keep breaking on me in fights. I need something durable that I can count on. Something that's durable, flexible, and fire proof. You're a fighter, you have a similar quirk to me... will you make the damn suit?"

She pondered the idea for a while, thinking about her own guards, and could empathize with the way his big red eyes looked right then. Bakugou was scared. Just like her, he needed guards to make himself feel powerful and in control. He needed them for safety.

Except, when she used her guards, the only life she risked was her own. If her costume failed him in a fight and he got hurt, then she'd never forgive herself. Knowing how brutal Bakugou was in a fight, he'd break her guards in a day.

Even though she fought thugs all the time, their quirks usually weren't that intense. Bakugou would be fighting some of the most powerful villains and heroes, both for real and in training. He needed guards that could hold up against powerful opponents time and time again.

Ayami sighed, and set her phone under the counter.

"Just how badly do you need gear?" Ayami asked.

"There's been a surge in guns being smuggled into the city. Ideally, I need something bulletproof."

"I thought guns became outdated when quirks appeared?" Ayami asked.

"They're making a come back."

"... alright. I'll show you the kind of gear I have, and you can decide whether it's your style or not. I can make you something that can help you until you find someone better."

"I'm going to fucking pay you. I don't need your fucking pity." Bakugou spat.

"Letting you use my gear is a huge risk for me. She shouldn't have let Tenya see my fucking gear in the first place." Ayami spoke, unable to hold back the anger bubbling inside. That gear kept her alive, and she was apparently showing it off to random people without her permission.

Bakugou seemed about to say something, but she told him to 'shut up' and follow her.

5.

That night, as she sat in her apartment above the metal shop, she went over the notes that Bakugou had left her.

Bakugou couldn't draw for shit.

It looked like a 5 year old's drawing, and the handwriting was nearly illegible.

Luckily, he didn't want her to make him an entire metal suit. More specifically, he wanted pieces of metal that would be inconspicuous beneath his suit, along with other parts to go on the outside, which he hoped would keep his costume from catching on fire. Ideally, he also wanted a shield that he could take out at a moment's notice, could be hidden easily, light, and strong.

Judging by the conversation, Ayami had the weird feeling that Bakugou recently had a close call with death, or at least almost received a significant injury, which had him rattled. He wanted new gear to feel safe.

Sighing, she pulled up her sleeve and looked at her own protection. The piece of metal was relatively thin, molded to her arm, and strapped down with leather. In a fight against a powerful villain, this probably wouldn't do much to protect her, but this would protect her against something like a bullet or a small time villain. This also protected her clothes from her own quirk.

Pulling her sleeve back down, she picked up the notes and went over to her window sill, taking a seat and pressing her forehead against the cool window and gazing up at the full moon.

6.

Bakugou sighed, again, sitting outside with his 'friends' and thinking about his conversation from the previous day.

As they chatted away about whatever, he wondered about whether he'd made the right decision or not. Sure, heroes nowadays were going to freelance designers for costumes, but those people were usually trained in some way or at least had experience. Bakugou was going on his gut alone and Ashita's word, which wasn't much.

"Bakugou, you okay? You're more quiet than usual." Midoria asked, pissing him off.

"I'm fine, nerd. Just thinking about something." He waved off.

"Are you thinking about Ayami?" Iida asked with that stupid grin on his face.

"No." He lied.

"Did you ask her about the armor thing?" Iida asked.

"... maybe." Bakugou admitted with a glare.

"Is she going to do it?" Midoria asked.

"She said that she'd think about it and go over the notes I gave her."

"Did you at least type the notes?" Iida asked.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Bakugou snapped.

"That your handwriting is terrible."

"Don't worry, Bakugou." Midoria told him. "Even if she refuses, there are other great companies out there. She's not the only costume designer out there. You could start asking other fire quirk heroes for recommendations."

"Did you get to see the armor that she's already made?" Iida asked him.

"A little." Bakugou nodded. "Have you?"

"Ashita showed me one time. Ayami hides her armor in the metal shop, and Ashita accidentally found it once. It looks great."

"Why did she give up on being a hero, anyway?" Bakugou asked. "She was definitely strong enough to be one."

Iida shrugged, "I don't know for sure, but Ashita thinks that it's because of her. That Ayami gave up fighting so that she could create a business with her sister."

"Huh." Bakugou muttered.

"Oh, Ashita wants you to join us for dinner this week. When are you free?" Iida inquired.

7.

The next day, Ayami was taking stock, when she heard her sister squeal from the shop portion of their building. Her squeals of excitement tended to border on screaming, and unless they were planned screamings (as in, Ayami was notified in advance that she was having friends visit), then Ayami always had to go and check on her.

Setting the large tongs back in their placeholder, she moved her clipboard to her side and made her way through the maze of a room to the front. As she got closer, she could hear the continued squeals of excitement from her sister.

Those squeals usually only happened when cute babies or friends from high school entered the shop, so when Ayami saw neither, she froze in place.

There were two people by the main entrance, and one of them was an older woman hugging her sister.

Her mother.

Their parents.

Both of them had aged since last she saw them, some 15 years ago, but they had aged well. Only a few wrinkles here and there, non-conspicuous clothing, and average hairstyles. Matching brown coats, long straight hair on her mother, and short cut hair on her father.

"Ayami, dear," Her father spoke.

"Shut it. Get out of our shop." Ayami told him.

"Ayami!" Ashita yelled.

"We're a clean business. I don't want you here." Ayami said as she stepped forward.

Unfortunately, Bakugou had the worst timing, and walked into their shop just then.

"Leave or else I'll make you leave. I don't want you anywhere near my sister or I." Ayami told them.

"These are our parents, Ayami. Stop being so harsh." Ashita told her awkwardly.

"I don't care. Either they leave, or I'll have my hero friend force them out." Ayami stated, referring to Bakugou.

Her father glanced from Ayami to Bakugou, not missing the 'hero' part.

He was a villain.

"We'll come back once you've calmed down. We're sorry for disturbing you." He said with a nod, and calmly guided his wife out of the shop with him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Ashita screamed at her.

"We have a customer, Ashita. We'll talk later." Ayami told her, and looked back at Bakugou. "Sorry about that. Let's go to the back for measurements."

"I'm not your bodyguard, you know." He told her.

"I know. Sorry for involving you." She apologized, and brought him to the back of the shop to work.

8.

Towards the end of the day, a half hour before they were supposed to close shop, Ashita turned the 'open' sign to 'close', and closed the blinders so that they wouldn't be seen.

Ayami stood up and leaned against the counter, hands in her pockets.

"They're our parents, Ayami. How could you do that?!" Ashita yelled at her.

"They're villains, Ashita. They abandoned us." Ayami said, and felt herself begin to emotionally shut down. Her body went from a racing heartbeat to a calm one, and a cold sweat was beginning to form.

"They wanted to protect us, so they left us at a school with plenty of money and supplies. They wrote to us, every Christmas and birthday, and-"

"Never visited, never called, dumped us at a school in the middle of nowhere while they used their quirks to destroy other families and take everything they had. We were raised on blood money!"

"You always exaggerate!" Ashita yelled.

"No, I'm not!" Ayami yelled back.

"I'm the older sister, Ashita! Stop acting like I'm not!"

"Then stop acting like a child!"

"I'm pregnant with my second child and living my life. What the hell are you doing with yours, Ayami? You spend all of your time hiding in your room or making hero costumes in the shop. You never go out, you don't make friends, you do nothing but work for a dream that you won't even admit you have!"

"Those are not hero costumes, and don't change the subject! I don't want you going anywhere near our parents again!"

"I'm a grown woman and will do what I want! I want my children to have their grandparents in their life!"

"Then you're going to give them a shit life, because our parents will only bring pain and death!"

Their yelling match continued for a while longer, and resulted in slammed doors and storming off.

9.

Bakugou looked down at his arm, where Midoria had just punched him, and flexed his forearm. He moved his arm around, feeling for any dents in the metal, and was surprised by how little he felt. Whatever material Ayami used to keep the guard strapped on was extremely flexible yet durable. No matter which way he moved, nothing bunched up or felt awkward.

This metal, called Zio, was a newly created one only discovered about ten years ago and made public a few years ago. The metal acted like a sponge, able to take high amounts of sudden pressure and distribute that pressure through the rest of the piece, and any dents would reverse to the original position. The metal could be formed once it was heated enough, but until that melting point, it was completely solid. It also had a remarkably high melting point, which made this metal even more ideal for his situation.

To have an entire costume of this would be expensive, but worth it.

He was in his agency's gym that day, and Midoria was the only one with him. This particular gym was the smaller of the two in that building, having only enough space to have two sparring partners practice.

"That kind of metal is hard to get." Midoria commented. "How did Ayami manage to get her hands on that?"

"I don't know. Didn't ask." Bakugou said with a shrug.

10.

Ayami received an unexpected phone call the next day.

As she looked in the full length mirror, she pressed the phone to ear, and kept frowning at herself.

"Eraser Head? What's up?" She asked, and grunted in annoyance when she found yet another bruise on her skin that she needed to hide. The strappy red dress that Ashita was bullying her to wear was much too revealing, and required that she couldn't wear her guards. All of her muscles were also very prominent in the dress, and although she was fine with showing muscle in most outfits, none of that was flattering with this style of dress.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I was hoping that you could clear up something for me." Eraser Head spoke. "I asked your sister about a special type of metal called 'Zio', and she said that your shop has only ordered about 5 lbs over the last year. When I called the only distributer in Japan, they said that you're their biggest customer. They say that you've bought over 1,000 lbs of Zio over the last year alone."

"That sounds about right. My sister uses Zio for her large scale installation sculptures. They're durable in storms and easy to mold into different shapes. Ashita probably thought you were talking about a different type of metal."

There was a pause on the other end. "Is there any reason you can think of that your sister would lie about that? She seemed sure about her estimate when I talked to her."

"She's not good with numbers. She's an artist, and so long as she gets the materials, she doesn't pay attention to amounts. I'm sure it was an honest mistake."

She heard a crash downstairs in the shop. They were closed that day.

"Excuse me, I have to go." Ayami said, and hung up.

11.

Bakugou felt horribly out of place.

The two story house was well kept. The guests were in suits and dresses. The food smelled fancy. Candles were lit.

From what he could tell, this was a family dinner, not a friend dinner. Midoria had been invited to this but bailed at the last minute, leaving him to be the only person in the living room that wasn't related to Ashita or Iida. Both of Ashita's parents were there, Iida's parents were there, his grandparents were there, his brothers were there, his brother's wives were there, and all of their children were there.

Bakugou awkwardly sat in the corner of the living room with his phone, trying to stay out of everyone's way, and tried to act like he didn't feel. He tried to act like he was perfectly at home here and chose to sit alone in the corner. He chose to be here on this stupid fucking night.

He couldn't wait for the dinner to be done. He also knew that if he tried to leave early, then Tenya's pregnant wife would stop him, make a big deal, and force him to stay.

Nobody would sit down for dinner until Ayami got there. She was a half hour late.

Bakugou sent her another text telling her to get her ass over there.

Just after sending the text, he heard a knock on the front door followed by the squeals of Ashita. Those squeals shifted to anger, and was followed by some kind of strangled sound. "Why the hell aren't you wearing the dress I gave you?"

"It got caught on some scrap metal as I was leaving and tore."

When Ayami entered the living room, she seemed just as surprised as Bakugou had been when he got here. Her gaze wandered to the multiple bodies in the room and her hand awkwardly raised to give them a wave.

She'd been in a fight. Bakugou had seen enough women cover up their injuries with make up to know what it looked like. Unless the others looked closely, he doubted that anyone else would notice. She did a good job in blending and hiding the injuries.

They all moved to the dining room to eat, and somehow, he ended up getting seated next to Ayami. She went straight for the wine and made nervous glances to her parents frequently.

After they brought the food out to the table, Ashita stood up and clinked her small fork with her glass of sparkling cider.

"I have an announcement." Ashita said with a smile, and put a long hand on his father's shoulder. "I've brought you all here to share some great news. My parents are officially going to be part of the Ai Metalworks business. I made them official partners today."

"That's wonderful!" Most of the room started congratulating her and her parents, talking about what that meant, asking questions, and so forth. As they did so, they finally started letting people put food on their plates.

Bakugou was about to pass a basket of biscuits to his left, but when they didn't take it, they looked closer.

He had never seen anyone so livid before. Ayami sat in her chair, slightly slouched with a wine glas in her hand, and she was glaring daggers at her sister. At that rate, he wouldn't be surprised if she broke the glass in her hand.

He tapped her hand with the basket, getting her attention, and that icy cold glare turned their rays to him. He froze, unsure how to handle that intensity, and waited for her to respond.

After a few seconds he nudged her hand again with the basket, and she finally responded. She got a biscuit and passed it along.

Bakugou wondered if that's what he looked like when he was angry, and contemplated apologizing to people for making them feel that way. If he wasn't so lazy or actually cared, he might have.

12.

The next day, Ayami closed shop for the morning.

She sat in her small apartment above the shop, sitting with her dining room chair turned backwards and her arms resting on the backside. Her chin rested on her folded arms, and her eyes on the dirty rags hanging from the pantry door.

Ayami wasn't poor, but she wasn't rich, either. Most of her money went towards armor to keep her alive and repairs to the shop from repeated burglaries and attacks over the years.

Most of her home consisted of gifts from other people. Ashita had connections everywhere and helped a lot of people, so she ended up with things she didn't need and passed them along to Ayami. Because of that, her apartment was mismatched in terms of furniture and decoration.

Somehow, those rags fit perfectly in her home. As if they were part of the decor.

She'd never come so close to being killed before.

Most of her parents' debt collectors just wanted to 'rough her up' in order to show her parents that they meant business. They damaged her shop to get to them. They hurt, beat, and threatened Ayami's well being routinely in order to get to her parents.

After the dinner last night, she spent most of her night cleaning up the shop downstairs from the fight. There was still blood in the alleyway outside the shop, but she'd let the rain handle that.

Without her armor, she couldn't use her quirk without being exposed. She was caught off guard and couldn't fight back properly. They held her down, tried to strangle her… they could have done much worse than beat her up if they'd wanted to. Five guys against one girl.

Ayami had been wearing a skimpy red dress, beaten to near death by a group of men, and had been completely vulnerable.

And now, the people responsible for that were 'partners' in the business that she'd helped create. Officially, Ashita was in charge of their business, since her name was on all the paperwork and she's the one that took loans out for it. Ayami bought this building with loans. The arrangement was going to save them thousands of dollars in the long run, and since Ashita was starting a family here and Ayami had no interest in moving elsewhere, that made the long term investment worth it.

Except, now that their parents were in the picture… Ayami refused to run a business with criminals. She didn't want any business ties to her parents when they eventually got caught. Involving Tenya's family of heroes had been horrendous and beyond disrespectful. Ashita was flaunting their criminal parents in front of their noses. If anyone found out about their parents' identity, that would tarnish the Iida family name.

Officially, Ashita owned all of the equipment downstairs. She owned everything purchased through the business. Ayami owned the building.

She'd need to find renters. There was another apartment on this floor that she could rent out, and that was just being used as a workout space. Once Ashita moved out with all the equipment, she could move the workout equipment down there for the short term.

That meant that she wouldn't be able to make Katsuki's costume, and she needed another source of income. That also meant that she wouldn't be able to make anymore gear for herself.

Her gaze stayed on the remains of that dress, and she slowly inhaled the scent of fall from her open window. Leaves were turning colors outside, drifting to the ground, and filling the streets.

She briefly imagined herself in that alley again. Wearing those rags. Her pale skin poking out from beneath that cloth and the dead leafs blanketing her corpse.

Then, she imagined that body as Ashita.

"Tenya can protect her." Ayami reminded herself outloud, and sighed tiredly. Her breathing was slightly hitched from the night before.

The reason people targeted Ayami was because she was single and lived alone. No one targeted Ashita because she was married to a hero. A famous hero from a hero family, nonetheless.

Ayami had spent her entire life protecting her big sister. She'd spent her entire life lying, fighting, and carrying on in pain without a word.

She sighed tiredly, her rib cage spasming in pain as she did so, and she answered her phone when the ringtone filled the air.

Pressing the phone to her ear, she tiredly said "hello?"

"Hello Ayami, sorry to bother you again," Eraser Head spoke into the phone. "But I wanted to ask you another thing about your business."

"It's not going to be my business for long, but sure. Ask away."

"What do you mean?"

"Family drama. What do you need?"

"... well, Ashita brought me some receipts this morning, backing up what she told me about the 5 lbs of Zio metal. They still contradict what the manufacturer told me about how much he's sold to you, but Ashita is claiming that she has the correct number. She's adamant that the manufacturer is wrong, and you haven't purchased much metal from the company."

Ayami sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have to go through some records for an unrelated thing. I'll call Ashita and see what she's talking about, and get you accurate records if you need them. What do you need receipts for?"

"Well, Ashita brought them over without them being requested. I'm honestly just looking for some answers and trying to track down where this metal went."

"Do you think we're somehow tied to the increase in guns? They're using Zio, too, aren't they?"

"... I'm just trying to get answers. But yes, it is related to that. A friend of mine in the police force asked me to help find the source of weapons for the gangs, and since they're primarily made from Zio, I'm searching for places that have purchased it."

"Ashita primarily makes sculptures with the metal, which could hypothetically be melted down and turned into weapons. If you think it'll help, I can compile a list of all the clients who have received sculptures from us with that specific metal."

"That would be extremely helpful. Thank you, Ayami."

"No problem. Anything I can do to help." Ayami said, and added a smile out of habit. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all. Please get the list to me soon- it could save lives."

"We've purchased a lot of Zio over the years, Eraser Head. It could take a few days, at least, to sort through all of them."

"That's fine. Take care." He said, and hung up.

Ayami groaned and rested her forehead on her forearms, not looking forward to the next few days.

13.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T MAKE MY COSTUME!?" Katsuki yelled at the top of his lungs, barging into the studio with little warning and causing the door to smash into the wall. The door handle clicked and fell, clinking to the ground and rolling away across the concrete floor.

Ayami hopped up to sit on one of the many workstations, the sturdy table holding her weight easily, and she calmly looked him in the eye.

"I'm quitting and Ashita is going to be moving the business elsewhere. She's the one that gets the metal, and she's the one that owns all of this equipment. I'm sorry, but I can't make your gear."

"Why can't you just buy more equipment?" He demanded.

"It's too expensive, and I'm going to be tight on cash as it is. I'm going to be renting out the space upstairs and have to get a job somewhere. I doubt that I'll be able to get any renters for the shop, given how often it gets broken into, and there's no way that I could afford to replace this stuff."

"What if I rent the apartment upstairs and paid for the equipment and materials? Would you make my costume then?"

Ayami leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, slowly thinking and trying to make sure that she understood him correctly.

"Do you have any idea how much this equipment cost?" Ayami asked him.

"I'm on a hero's salary. I can afford it." He said confidently, and strode forward. "I pay for the equipment and materials, you make me the damn costume and sign an exclusionary contract. You only make costumes for me."

"... and you also want to move in upstairs?"

"This place is closer to my work anyway. I don't really give a shit where I live so long as I can sleep and eat there."

"... alright, Katsuki. I'll show you the place upstairs and you can think about this for a few days while I get the paperwork together. It'll be a few weeks until I can get your costume together."

"Just get it done." He grumbled.

14.

When Ashita showed up to work that night, the shop was still closed.

Ayami sat waiting at her seat, her feet up on the counter and crossed at the ankles, and paperwork sitting neatly on the counter.

When Ashita walked in, she was wearing her usual pretty outfit. A cutesy blue dress, black shoes, and large dark blue purse filled with various objects. She liked to carry just about everything with her at all times, "just in case".

"What's going on?" Ashita asked with wide, innocent eyes.

"You're going to sell me my share of the business and move out." Ayami said calmly.

"What are you talking about?" Ashita asked.

"Either you sell me my shares or I evict you from my building for associating with criminals. I refuse to do business with our parents."

"They're our parents, Ayami. They just need work."

"Then get them a job at the barber shop down the street, not entire portions of our clean business. I'm done covering for them and I refuse to have a paper trail with them. It's bad enough that I've been actively lying about my quirk for my entire life, which is insanely illegal, but I'm not going to ruin my financial for them. You shouldn't, either. If they get caught then it'll tarnish the entire reputation of your husband's family."

"You're over exaggerating as usual, Ayami." Ashita said with a flushed face. She was unusually pale, and stood still by the door.

"Mom and dad have been screwing over criminals for years, and those criminals have been getting payback by repeatedly vandalizing this store. Why do you think we've been the target for so much vandalism and burglary over the years?"

"Fine. Fine. Leave. I don't care." Ashita said, and walked over to the counter to start reading the forms.

"... you're seriously picking our parents over me?" Ayami asked her.

"They don't treat me like a child."

"You sold entire portions of our business to other people without even talking to me, and you've been giving false information to Eraser Head about a police investigation. I'm not in the wrong here."

"How did you know about Eraser Head?" She asked suddenly, looking up in alarm.

"He called me. You told him that we only purchased 5 lbs of Zio over the last year, and since the manufacturer has records showing we purchased more than that, Eraser Head called me to clear things up."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you made a mistake and that I'd get him proper information in a few days. He's going to be-"

"Why didn't you stick up for me?" Ashita snapped.

"It's not a big deal. I told him you're not good with numbers. It's an easy fix."

"Why didn't you stick up for me? I'm your sister!" Ashita yelled, and signed the paper. "Happy!?"

Ashita turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Ayami ended up spending her night in the basement going over records and receipts.

15.

Days went by, and her time was split between going over records, moving equipment, and doing paperwork.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

 _Moving In_

Ayami slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light.

The room was mostly white, but there was a bundle of color to her left. There was a steady beeping sound and the room smelled faintly of soap.

As she tried to adjust her eyes, she finally saw a figure, and was surprised by who it was.

He glanced up from his phone, red eyes meeting her brown ones, and turned off his phone.

"You're awake." He stated.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"I found you passed out in your workout space. According to the doctors, you overworked yourself and skipped meals. They also said that you had bone fractures and minor contusions that hadn't been healed. I told them that we were sparring partners and I was teaching you self defense in exchange for gear. If I hadn't, there would be an investigation into whether you are a secret hero."

Ayami blinked at him, absorbing the information, and was surprised that someone like him would cover for her. They hadn't known each other for long, and he was already doing so much for her.

He must be really determined to get that costume.

"Why did you cover for me?" Ayami asked.

"I don't care why you have so many injuries. I know that you're strapped for cash and you're a great fighter. So long as you're not hurting people that don't deserve it, I don't care, and you don't seem like the kind of person to do that. I just want you to get my goddamn costume done."

About a week had passed since Ashita's business started moving out. Ayami still needed to wait until she was completely out until she started on his gear. She'd already ordered the new equipment and metal.

"Thank you, Katsuki." Ayami said genuinely. If she'd been found by anyone else, she would be in a lot of trouble now. Even though she had a hero license, that only covered using her quirk in emergency situations. If she was found to be using her quirk and not reporting it regularly, she would be in big trouble. Self defense or not.

"Do you always work out so much?" He asked her.

"It's a stress reliever." She half lied. It also made her feel more in control, which she needed desperately after the most recent attack.

"If you work at my agency, then they can explain your injuries and heal you more regularly. They hire civilians to help with training runs, and I can recommend you."

"No, it's fine. For now, at least, I can't handle more things." Ayami told him. "I appreciate the offer, though."

"What kind of street fighting do you do?" He asked.

"I don't. I just have a shit head friend who makes bad enemies, and they target me to get a message to him. My fights are actually self defense and technically protected under my license, but since I don't actively report them, I would get in trouble if the police found out I was using my quirk and not telling them."

He nodded slowly.

"They might lessen once you move in. They don't attack Ashita as much because she has a hero husband. Having a hero neighbor might deter some of the meeker ones."

"If it's your friend, why would they go after her?"

"Mutual friend." Ayami covered easily. She rarely had to tell people this much about her situation, and the only other person was her personal healer. "Anyway, how long do I have to stay here? Can I leave?"

"They said that they want to keep you overnight just in case. They want to make sure that you don't pass out again right after you leave."

"How long have I been here?"

"A few hours."

"Why did you stay?"

He shrugged. "Didn't have anything better to do."

Ayami saw the tv flashing in the corner, and looked over see that a building was on fire. At the bottom, the headline "16 dead" scrolled across the screen. "What happened?"

Katsuki reached over for the remote and turned the volume up.

"The demon family held 16 people hostage in a bank early this morning. They threatened to kill the hostages if the police came in while they were robbing the bank. After stealing the money, they appeared to have killed the hostages and used some kind of teleportation quirk to escape. Police are now investigating into the matter, and trying to find out the identity of these three people."

Three drawings appeared on the screen next to a blurry picture from security cameras. The news caster went into minor detail about each one.

The first one, "Pops", was the father. Just like all of them he had massive pointed scales covering his body which concealed his true identity. The scales had a brown and yellow tint to them. He could shoot flames from his mouth and had super strength.

The second one, "Moms", had smaller scales with a purple and pink tint. Unlike Pops she wasn't as strong, but she could create a telepathic force field of any size that was hard to penetrate.

The third, "Demon Lass", was the new addition to the pair. She was supposedly their daughter, sporting a mix of brown and purple scales, and had strength like her father. Unlike her parents, she couldn't breathe fire or create force field bubbles.

Those three were the ones that orchestrated the event and took the most credit, but there were a few others that had been with them. Their faces and bios were described as well.

"Damn." Katsuki breathed.

"I'll get your costume done as soon as I can." Ayami said, and pulled the blanket off of her. To her appreciation, Katsuki helped get her signed out of the hospital.

As she was leaving, however, she got another call from Eraser Head.

"I need you to come to my office." He said, and she sighed as she walked away from the hospital.

"I need to get to work." Katsuki said, phone in hand. He'd apparently gotten a text. "You can handle yourself, right?"

"Of course, see you later." Ayami said, and watched him run off. They were only a few blocks from her home and his agency. "Eraser Head, I told you that going through so much paperwork will take time. I'm also moving, and-"

"That's not what this is about." He interrupted. "Have you heard about the recent murders?"

"The bank thing that happened this morning?"

"No, the murdered women. 3 women have died over the last week and left in alleys. Police suspect that it's gang related."

 _Fuck, I'm now apparently tied to how much murders in one day?_ Ayami wondered with a suppressed groan.

"One of the suspects of the crime say that you were the first victim. Imagine my surprise when I heard that you had died over a week ago, and I had been conversing with your ghost this entire time."

"... burglaries happen a lot at the shop. I didn't want premiums to go up and officially make crime go up in this area to reduce customers, so sometimes I didn't report break ins and just covered the cost of repairs myself. There was one group last week that was a little stronger than usual."

"That group killed 3 women. If you had reported them, they might still be alive."

"If they were hits from a gang, then they would have been killed by different people from the same gang. Don't guilt me right now, I'm just getting out of the hospital."

"And why were you in the hospital?"

Ayami refrained from cursing as she started walking home. "I overworked myself. I'll be fine, I just need to hydrate and take more breaks."

"Would it be easier if I came to you?"

"If this is a police investigation, why are you involved?" Ayami asked.

"I was already helping with the weapons situation, and when I heard your name being passed around, I asked to be more involved. If you're in trouble, then I could be your best way out."

Ayami grunted. She didn't need this in her life.

"I'll visit your shop this evening. We'll decide what to do from there."

"Alright. See you then." Ayami said, and hung up. "Fuck."

1.

When Katsuki got to the agency, he was surprised by just how many people were there. It seemed that almost everyone in the agency had been called in.

They were breaking down on the 'demon family' hard. More patrols, more coverage, more everything- the demon family had the hero community rattled.

2.

Katsuki was tense as he walked the streets that night.

For the most part, everything seemed normal. The busy streets of the city made the usual sounds, had the usual diverse people, and vender food scents to fill the air. No one was in danger, occasionally children laughed and ran around to annoy the adults, and people were otherwise busy with their lives.

Katsuki was paired with Midoria that night. They kept an eye and ear out for any trouble as they walked down the busy street, and gave people nods and smiles of assurance. Midoria mostly did the last part, since Katsuki's interactions with people usually resulted in them crying.

"How have you been holding up?" Midoria asked as they walked. "Have you talked to anyone about what happened?"

"Fuck off." Katsuki snapped and glared. He didn't need the damn nerd's pity.

"You've been a lot meaner since it happened. We have counselors at the agency for a reason."

"I'm fine. I don't need a damn shrink."

"You almost died, Ka-chan. You should talk to someone. Otherwise, your blind anger could get you hurt again on the job… or worse. You need to be at the top of your game, especially since the League of Villains has been resurfacing and the demon gang is getting more ruthless."

"Don't you think I fucking know that? I have a plan."

"Getting a costume from an untrained girl from high school?"

"She's more than that. You've seen her fight."

"I know that she's the only person you've ever had a crush on, and you're-"

"What did you just say?" Katsuki seethed, so distracted that he accidentally bumped into a civilian. Midoria apologized for him.

"The only person you've ever talked about wanting to fight but never do is her. She's your only rival that you've never actually challenged outright and consistently watched from afar."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I've barely even thought about her for years."

"So why do you keep going to Ashita's dinners?"

"I like free food and it would be rude to say 'no'."

"Since when do you care if you come off as rude?" Midoria asked with a shit-faced grin. Katsuki remembered why he hated the loser. "I think it's great that you're getting close to someone outside of work."

"Fuck off, Deku." Katsuki glared.

3.

Ayami tried to keep her voice down as she argued with her sister over the phone. She was in the main shop downstairs, which had been mostly cleared out, save for a few boxes.

"You need to turn yourself in. You can still claim that you were threatened into it. I can testify against our parents." Ayami offered.

"I'm not stopping and I'm not turning myself in, Aya. This is my choice."

"You chose to murder 16 innocent people in cold blood?"

"It was necessary in order to establish our presence. If you try to turn us in, you'll ruin not only my life but yours, too. We used Ai Metalworks to launder money from the beginning. Since you were the business major in charge of finances, how do you expect to convince anyone that you were innocent?"

The front door jingled. Eraser Head had arrived.

"I'll call you back." Ayami said, and hung up. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"I'm sorry that you're involved in this." Eraser Head started. "Our goal is to catch the murderers behind those young girls' deaths. If you cooperate fully, then I'm guessing that the worst punishment you'll recieve is a 2 month hero suspension."

Ayami sighed, tiredly, and pushed her bangs to the side. "I also have a partial list of clients. I haven't finished going through all the records, but you can at least start investigating them."

"Thank you, I'm sure that'll help greatly." He said with a nod, still standing by the door. He was much less intimidating than usual.

"I already cleaned up most of the blood from when they attacked. I still have the dress from that night and there's still some blood in the alley." She said, and started going through what happened.

4.

Tenya invited her out to lunch the next day.

They went across town to a small french bakery, and sat outside at a small table.

They were busy that day. People were hurriedly eating their lunch on their work break, waiters and waitresses bustling between tables, and several children were crying in the area. The space was loud but Tenya assured her that the food would be worth it.

He was in street clothes, jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, and his hair was a little less kept than usual. His daughter probably got a hold of him before her left.

Tenya was a kind person. He didn't deserve what was going to happen.

"How have you been?" Tenya asked.

"Busy." Ayami answered. "You?"

"Stressed, and busy." He answered with an awkward laugh. Ayami relaxed a little.

"How's work?"

"Stressful. Ever since the robbery, everyone has been on high alert. I've been on patrol a lot. Are you busy on Wednesday, actually?"

"Why?"

"My agency has been hiring civilians for training runs to help us prepare for upcoming fights. The pay is good and they give preference to people with hero or fighting experience. Would you be interested?" Tenya asked. Before she could refuse, he went on, "Because not only would you be helping us better prepare, but you'd also be able to spend time with your old friends. Considering everything that's going on with your business, I don't think you should be alone."

He was concerned about her.

In all honesty she was concerned about herself, too, but she didn't know if this would be a good idea. She had no idea how she'd fit it into her schedule.

Training with heroes would be good for her own training, though. That would keep her reflexes sharp and teach her new ways to fight. Aside from the occasional fight, she hadn't been able to learn fighting in a less hostile environment. She used to take karate classes down the street before that doujo closed.

"I'm so busy that I honestly don't know how to fit it into my schedule. I have too many things to do." Ayami said honestly. "I'm cleaning out the apartment next to mine to rent, I'm moving heavy equipment downstairs soon, I'm sorting through paperwork for the move of Ai Metalworks, I'm going through business records to help a police investigation and am a witness to one,"

"You witnessed a crime?" Tenya asked, surprised. That didn't help lessen the concern in his eyes.

"A few thugs vandalized the shop a while ago, and they're connected to some recent murders. Ashita also fucked up when she talked to Eraser Head about our business, so I've been having to go through my personal business records and give him the right information."

"Why hadn't I heard about this before? Are you okay?" He asked, visibly startled.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just busy and tired."

"Bakugou said that you were in the hospital the other day. Is it because of the vandals?"

She paused, not expecting him to know that. She didn't think that Bakugou would tell people about that.

"No, unrelated. That wasn't a big deal. I just skipped a meal and passed out. It was nothing."

"You should remember to eat more, Ayami. It's not healthy to skip meals. Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, most of my time is spent between work and helping Ashita move the business, but-"

"No, I'll be fine, Tenya." Ayami said awkwardly, and spent the rest of their lunch trying to assure him that she wasn't skipping meals or doing other unhealthy things.

At the end of their lunch, they were about to part ways outside of the shop, when Ayami noticed one of her sister's statues across the street. The statue in question was a 10 foot non-objective sculpture made from steel and Zio, and stood proudly in front of a church. Ashita had a lot of friends in the religious community, and she'd been hired to make a few large scale sculptures across the city.

That statue had at least 100 lbs of Zio in it. All of the Zio parts were obvious, since steel was a beautiul silver while Zio was a deep shade of blue.

"Thank you for having lunch with me, Ayami. Please take care of yourself." Tenya, said, and pulled her into a hug. "Please consider the training night. I think it'll be a lot of fun."

"Thanks, Tenya. Take care of yourself, be safe, and say hi to my niece for me." Ayami requested as she returned the hug.

5.

Late that night, well after midnight, Katsuki stopped by Ai Metalworks. That is, the old location, at least.

He half expected the shop to be completely closed down, but considering Ayami's late nights, he wasn't too surprised to find the lights on inside. The main shop was closed down, with metal grates over the windows and heavy lock on the door, but he had a key to the back door.

Last time he came over to check on the status of his apartment, he'd been surprised to find Ayami passed out on his floor. Technically the apartment wasn't his yet, so it was just filled with boxes and training equipment, but he was still startled by the sight. Finding her so lifeless on the floor had left him a little uneasy.

As he walked around the building, he kept an eye out for anyone lurking in the shadows. Villains following him home after a job wasn't entirely rare, especially on late nights like this.

When he reached the back door on the side of the building, he put his key in the doorknob and opened, making sure to lock it behind him.

The smell of metal and dirt met his nose, and the cold, chill air tugged at his limbs. At this late hour a deafening silence echoed around him, which was oddly soothing compared to the busy streets of his city.

He turned on the lights, and realized that a lot of progress had been made in the last week and a half. Almost all of the smaller things in the large space had been moved and only the bigger items remained. Katsuki had overheard Iida calling Ururaka for a favor involving moving. She would probably be coming here to help them move the bigger pieces of equipment. If he remembered correctly, she'd helped them move this equipment in here the first time, too.

Ayami was planning to move the workout equipment in here, to the right side of the room, and put the metal smithing equipment on the left side. Since she wouldn't need all of the tables and extra student supplies, the metal equipment would take up significantly less space.

Since he was basically funding her new 'business', he wondered if she would let him use the workout equipment and potentially add more to it. Katsuki liked the idea of having a 2 person gym. That way, he wouldn't have to put up with the people at his work. Recently, in particular, they'd had an increase in specialized heroes from outside the city come in, which made all the facilities busy.

Katsuki also liked the idea of being able to work out when he couldn't sleep.

" _She's the only person you've ever had a crush on."_ Midoria's annoying voice echoed in his head, and he grunted.

Katsuki had never had a romantic crush on anyone, that he knew of. He was goal oriented and had no interest in romantic or sexual relationships.

Before the recent fuck up, he had a great system for himself. He never had sex or masterbated, which made him much more aggressive and motivated than most other heroes. He didn't date, which left him without distractions. Over the years he'd learned to keep himself just under control to be a functional member of society, but a powerful adversary in a fight.

Katsuki never had the same problem that other men claimed to have, which was fighting side-by-side with women in spandex outfits. He always focused on the fight and how he could beat them in a fight, not how to have sex with them.

He was confident, aggressive, in control, and great at his job.

Until recently, that is.

He'd felt the significant shift in him, and others had been commenting on it. About two months ago he had a close call. His leg got caught in some rubble during a fight, and the villain got close enough to kill him. Midoria only barely saved him at the last minute.

Ever since that day, he felt unbalanced. He didn't feel quite as powerful. He felt like there was a gaping hole in his defenses that he couldn't guard against, and everyone could see it.

Instead of channeling his aggression at his enemies, he was attacking everyone. He was rude to everyone, lashing out at anyone who gave him even a slight annoyance, and it was becoming a problem. He wasn't in control and that was bad for everyone, especially himself. At this rate he could get fired or killed on a job from being so impatient.

He didn't know what to do, but he hoped that the new armor would help. The powerful metal would give him an edge, the new workout area would give him more strength, and he now had an endless supply of custom made armor.

A loud sound came from below him, as if something large was being moved, and he guessed that Ayami was in the basement. She'd been doing paperwork down there, he guessed.

Katsuki was tempted to scare the hell out of her by just saying nothing and waiting for her to discover him. Since she was recently in the hospital, though, he decided to do the good thing and let her know that he was there.

"Ayami?" Katsuki yelled, and walked across the floor. The entrance to the basement was a door on the left side of the room, which was currently closed.

"Katsuki?" A faint voice yelled back.

Just as he was getting close to the door, he heard her footsteps ascending the steps, and he opened the wooden door to see her exhausted face.

"What are you doing here so late?" She asked, holding a notebook. She was wearing big gray sweatpants and a loose shirt.

"I just got off of work, and I know that you're sometimes up this late." He answered. "Did you remember to eat today?"

"I had lunch with Tenya." She waved off, and closed the door behind her.

"What about dinner?"

She gave an aggravated sigh, and he couldn't help but smile at her reaction. At least he wasn't the only one making sure she was eating.

"I had leftovers. I've been snacking in the basement." She answered. "I haven't made any progress on the costume, yet. The parts aren't in yet and I have to wait for my sister to get the rest of her shit out of here. There was a hang up with the new place she's renting, so it'll be another week at least until she gets the other heavy stuff. The smaller things have been going into a storage place."

"What's the hurry on making her move? Why can't you use her equipment?" He asked.

"I refuse to do business with her anymore or use her equipment." She stated, and walked over to the metal grated staircase. She tiredly waved for him to follow her. "Ashita doesn't want to be here anymore, either. She's severing ties fast and hard."

"What happened?" Katsuki asked curiously. He knew that the sisters never had a perfect relationship, but they'd been close for as long as he'd known them. They'd owned a business together with no major issues, and Ashita always talked highly of her sister. Tenya never mentioned any direct animosity between them, either.

"Long story."

Ayami led him up to her apartment and let him in. This was the first time that he'd see her apartment first hand.

He was surprised by how many boxes were inside. The walls were lined with boxes, and in the living space, there were large pieces of workout equipment that he recognized from his apartment.

"You said that you want to start living here on the 15th, right? Next week Tuesday?" Ayami inquired.

"Ideally, yeah." He said with a nod. "I was thinking about the workout equipment, though… what if I added to it, and we shared it?"

"You mean downstairs, when it's eventually moved there?" She asked, and he nodded. As he looked at one of the larger pieces of equipment in her living room, which currently disassembled, he wondered if she'd had any help in moving any of this.

"It would be nice to have my own gym. It would give me an edge."

"As if you need to work out anymore than you do." Ayami said with a chuckle, and went over to her kitchen, which was mostly box free. Katsuki watched her go for a tea kettle and begin to fill up the metal pot. "Tea?"

"Sure." He said with a shrug. Then, he turned to the living room again, and noticed that there was a large and empty window sill. Out of the entire apartment, that was definitely the most interesting part, and he'd missed it at first because of the mess. The large window was circular, seeming to bend out ever so slightly, and the sill was cushioned with what looked to be comfortable seating. The space was only enough for one person, and he imagined that it was a wonderful place to meditate and read.

 _I haven't done either of those things in a while._ He realized. Maybe that would help him calm down in general.

"What did you mean before? That I don't need to work out?" Katsuki asked her, turning back to Ayami.

"That you're ripped. You're a powerful hero."

"But I'm not the strongest." Katsuki stated.

"Depends on your perspective." She said with a half shrug as she prepared their tea. "No one is the greatest at everything. They have specific qualities they can be the best at, but everyone can be beat. I suppose the strongest person is someone who can defeat anyone regardless of how strong they are. In that sense, it doesn't matter how much you work out, intelligence wins out."

"Strength matters." He pointed out.

"If someone's quirk is to phase through any material, strength isn't going to help you if they reach into your chest and rip your heart out."

Katsuki didn't have a good response. He hated quirks like that. People like that can end the fight before it even starts.

"Oh, I realized something, too," She spoke, looking up from the tea kettle and facing him. "Since I'll be licenced for hero costumes, that means that I'll have access to more materials than I did before. There's a type of fabric that can absorb toxins that I think you might be interested in. If we put that fabric on the outside of your suit then it'll protect you from gas based attacks. The only downside is that it would look dirty over time and you'd need to replace it fairly frequently, but considering how often you go through costumes and how rough you are, it might be something to keep in mind."

"Have you tried it?" He asked.

"No, I wasn't able to buy it before because I'm not an official hero. If I get some for myself, I'm going to make it into a bandana so that I can cover my face in a pinch. Some of the more sensitive types are super sensitive to some toxins, which means that when it turns color, it means that it's interacting with a certain chemical in the air."

Katsuki wondered if she knew that there had been an increase in poison type quirks.

"Are you interested?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said with a nod, and she smiled at him.

"I had some other ideas, too." Ayami said excitedly, and started explaining some other interesting costume ideas to him.

6.

On Wednesday night, Sue was one of the many people sent in from around the surrounding counties to help this agency train.

Chariot, Bakugo and Iida's agency, was one of the leading agencies to start asking the community to help train their heroes. The exercises were designed to not only help heroes practice taking in villains peacefully, without excessive violence, but it would also educate civilians about their rights and how heroes are supposed to handle them if they were suspected of illegal activity.

The guest "villains" were put into groups and then, at different times, were set up all over the city to do "illegal" things. Some of the "villains" were actually innocent but instructed to act guilty, and vice versa, and varied drastically in skill level. Some of the villain groups were civilians with weak and non-trained quirks, while other groups were highly skilled with powerful quirks, a few even having lesser known heroes in disguise.

The heroes instructed to investigate them were given limited information, and were supposed to respond as if the situation was real. The villains were given a list of heroes that might show up to investigate, but weren't told specifically which ones.

Sue was in a group of 4. Each of them was female, and they were one of the more powerful groups. Her team consisted of Ayami, Ochaku, and Yilu. Yilu was the lesser known person of the group, having not gone to UA.

They were all in the women's locker room of Chariot's HQ, and as they got dressed, Sue glanced at the other women.

Sue regularly exercised for her work in the coast guard, but her body paled in comparison to Ochaku and Ayami. Both of them seemed to work out and train regularly, and they had considerable muscle when they removed their clothing.

Both of them had 6 packs. Not an ounce of fat on their bodies.

"So we're going to go for the classic sex appeal, and innocent girl role?" Ochaku asked casually.

"I don't like showing skin. I don't mind acting innocent, though." Ayami said.

Sue then noticed, just before she put a tank top on, that she had a lot of scars on her body.

"We're supposed to be smuggling cocaine across the harbor." Ochaku said, and looked to Sue. "Your experience will be valuable, Sue."

"Yilu, what's your quirk?" Ayami inquired, turning to Yilu.

Seeing Yilu appearing as awkward as Sue felt calmed her nerves slightly. Yilu was a normal civilian like Ayami, but unlike her, she didn't have hero training. She was pale, slightly pudgy, and a little shorter than Ochaku and Ayami.

"Um… well…" Yilu stuttered awkwardly, and explained her quirk to them.

7.

When Midoria, Bakugou, and Calleuse were called to the docks to investigate that night, they didn't expect what they found.

Giggles. Laughter. Pink.

When they arrived, Bakugou honestly wondered if this was an innocent group of girls and they'd been sent to the wrong place by accident. All three men exchanged confused glances before walking over to them.

They were using a small sailboat, and the group seemed to consist of only women. They were loading regular suitcases onto the boat, pink and frilly items that Bakugou couldn't identify, and other random feminine things.

This was their last exercise for the day. They'd already done 3 other training exercises, which were a solid mix of amateur and pathetic. Considering that most of their volunteers were weak civilians, Bakugou was prepared to hold back for this.

"Oh my gosh!" One of the girls gushed when the heroes got closer, and alerted the other women with girlish giggles and excited screams.

One of them, who had platinum blond hair and very short skirt, ran over to their group as they came closer. Bakugou held back, staying a little ways behind Midoria and Calleuse, and eyed the small boat.

Calleuse went around her as she gushed over Midoria, and another girl with bright pink hair and low cut shirt went to Calleuse and started gushing over him.

The one talking to Midoria had a lisp, and kept spraying Midoria with her spit. Bakugou held back a laugh, watching as the hero couldn't bring himself to make her stop talking without being rude.

"Look, I appreciate all of the attention," Midoria interrupted awkwardly, "But why are you out here so late?"

"Well," The girl spit, "I mean we were supposed to leave early this morning, and I mean technically we're supposed to be leaving from the docks just north of here, but my Cindy messed up navigation and we couldn't get to the other docks and they're probably closed, and so she came here to meet us so we just decided to load here." She explained, and kept going on to explain why she was there so late.

"Ma'am, can you please open your bag?" Calleuse requested.

"Oh, not that bag!" The pink haired girl gushed in a high pitched voice and her cheeks looking red. She also seemed on the verge of tears.

"We were called to investigate a potential smuggling operation here. I'm sorry, but I need to search your bag." Calleuse had a heightened sense of smell and was trained to find illegal drugs.

"But that's where all of my underwear is." She said, and caused Calleuse's face to turn red.

"It's just underwear, Calleuse. Search the damn bag." Bakugou ordered from his spot next to Midoria.

"I'll search another one, first." Calleuse stuttered, and went for another one.

"Oh, no!" The pink-haired girl screamed again. "Oh, this is so embarrassing! Don't you have a woman on your team to do this? Oh, this is terrible!"

"We can call for a female officer to come here and search your luggage." Midoria said.

"Oh, but we need to get going soon. We were supposed to have left hours ago! My husband and daughter are expecting me!" The blond one exclaimed, spitting more liquid onto Midoria's face.

If this wasn't a training exercise, then Bakugou would have just let them go. They were obnoxious.

"Do you have any bags that don't have, uh… unmentionables in them?" Calleuse asked with a beat red face.

The pink-haired and equally red girl turned and pointed to some bags to the side, appearing extremely embarrassed by the situation.

"We'll need to search the boat. You're here illegally." Bakugou announced.

"Ooooooh!" The blond screamed girlishly. "I need to get home, though!"

"Bakugou, you stay out here while Calleuse and I look around the boat." Midoria instructed, thoroughly covered in that girl's spit. "Is anyone else on the boat?"

"Two of our friends are taking a nap inside." The blond said. More spit.

"You two stay out here. After we've looked around, you can leave with a citation. We'll have to report you for porting here illegally." Midoria explained.

Both girls pouted and waited on the dock while Midoria and Calleuse went inside to search.

Bakugou watched the two girls tiredly. Initially he didn't care and was just ready to go home, whether or not this was an actual 'bust', but when he realized the girls weren't unnerved or scared by him, he knew something was wrong. Even the rare fan girl gave off a certain vibe that neither of these girls did. They were also wearing an excessive amount of make up, as if they were hiding their identities.

For the most part, Bakugou only associated with heroes. Most other civilians hadn't bothered to dress up this much.

Then again, they were instructed to act as innocent as possible. Maybe they were overly acting unafraid of him, just like they were over acting everything else.

"There are drugs down here." Midoria announced.

"Don't run." Bakugou told the girls. They didn't say anything and stood still, not even bothering to try and escape. Maybe they were just as tired as he was.

Midoria and Calleuse came out, and Bakugou was about to take a step forward, when he realized that his feet were stuck.

Bakugou looked down and realized that some kind of tentacle like creature had latched onto his feet, keeping him in place.

Midoria cried out in alarm, and Bakugou's eyes widened as Midoira was engulfed in flames. Not just attacked with fire, but engulfed in them. His entire front side was suddenly on fire.

Calleuse was thrown so far that he didn't hit the water after several seconds.

Before he could react, his body was pulled down, breaking the dock and dragging him into the cold water.

8.

Katsuki was absolutely livid.

He vented in the gym that night, punching the ever loving shit out of the punching bag.

Even though they technically did everything right, he was still pissed that they lost.

9.

Thursday

The next night, Katsuki went out to dinner with some of his friends.

Unfortunately, when he arrived at the restaurant, there were people that he didn't feel like being around. Namely, the people he'd lost to the previous night.

They were a large group in the sushi restaurant. They took up a large table and almost everyone had arrived, except for Katuski. Not surprisingly, one of the only spaces available was next to tensely sat down next to her.

Iida and his wife and child were there. Iida sat on the other side of Ayami.

Sue, Ochaco, Midoria, Grape Juice, Todoroki, and a few other random high school classmates were there. He didn't known their names off the top of his head, and he frankly didn't care who they were. Katsuki went straight for his menu.

"Ka-chan," Midoria spoke, getting his attention. "Did you know that Ayami had flammable spit?"

"Yeah, it's explosive." Katsuki answered casually.

"No, she has flammable spit and explosive spit. I knew about the explosive spit but not the flammable." Midoria said, and as he did, Katuski turned his gaze to her.

"I'm glad that you got out unscathed. I've never used that on a person before, so I was worried that I could hurt you permanently." Ayami told Midoria apologetically.

"Our healers fixed me up fine. You did great." Midoria assured. "I especially appreciate what you did, since the demon family has a similar quirk. They're able to spit explosive liquid and breathe fire like you."

"Has there been any progress with that?" She asked.

"They've made some small scale robberies lately, and there have been casualties, but no deaths since the bank robbery."

"Oh, Ayami," Iida spoke. "The agency was impressed by how well you did last night. They might be interested hiring you part time."

"For what?" Katsuki asked him.

"For training exercises, probably. Since she lives in the area and has a hero background, she would be useful for more regular training." Iida explained.

Katsuki didn't know how he felt about that. That idea brought up powerful emotions in him, but he didn't entirely know why.

"Excuse me." Katsuki said, and left.

10.

Thursday

By that night, everything that officially belonged to Ai Metalworks was gone from Ayami's building. That included the half dozen metal file cabinets downstairs in the basement.

Ayami made sure that they didn't know of the other ones, which included her personal copies and back ups of all paperwork and records for the company. Every receipt, transaction, and form associated with their business was in those extra metal filing cabinets in the hidden room downstairs.

11.

Friday

The following morning, Ayami awoke to an alert on her phone. The piece of technology beeped and vibrated at her until she swiped to the right on her screen.

Then, information for what transpired filled her screen, and she sat up abruptly.

"WARNING: 30 injured, 20 dead in mass shooting at Gallery Park. Possibly connected to a gang called 'demon gang'. Members are armed and dangerous, do not leave your home unless you absolutely have to. Suspects are still at large."

Ayami started searching articles about what happened, to find more information.

A bunch of people in the demon gang opened fire in a park earlier that morning. Many were killed or sent to the hospital.

The demon gang is claiming responsibility, and the demon family is claimed to be the masterminds.

While she was looking at the photographs, she noticed something weird: the sculpture at the church was broken. For some reason the steel parts stayed together better than the Zio, when it should have been the other way around.

She called her sister.

She didn't answer.

12.

Friday

Katsuki ended up going to his parent's home, since they kept calling him and panicking over what happened that morning.

His mother kept going on about how he needed to be safe, all the while making way too much food. She was constantly in the kitchen, baking or cooking something, and there was already a giant batch of cookies on the table.

Katsuki's father was much less concerned. He had more faith in his son.

"I'll need to go back to work in an hour." Katsuki reminded him when his mother started yet another dish in the kitchen.

"So, I ran into Tenya the other day. He says that you're moving to a new place that's closer to your work." Katsuki's dad said. "He says your neighbor is his sister-in-law."

"Yeah." He said with a nod.

"She's not by chance that girl you had a crush on in high school, is she? The strong one you fought against in the competition?"

"Why do people keep saying that I like her? I don't. She makes good costumes and she's strong." Katsuki said, and was annoyed by the amused chuckle from his father.

"You've always been a very obvious person. When you're angry, you're angry. When you like someone, you're slightly less angry at them. When you're sad, you act angry, but don't have your heart in it."

Katsuki wasn't entirely convinced, but he wasn't sure how to argue otherwise. He didn't really know his actual feelings on the matter, and for the most part, he didn't care. He was just tired of people assuming things about him.

"If you like her, you should ask her out." He suggested to Katsuki. "You're a hero, son. It's not like she'll turn you down."

13.

Ayami wore a dark green hoodie when she went to the crime scene.

She avoided all of the caution tape, avoided the gaze of onlookers taking pictures, and made her way over to the statue off to the side. The statue was across the street from the park, near the restaurant she went to the other day, and not in the sectioned off area. Ayami was able to look at the sculpture without getting in trouble.

A few others were looking at the damaged sculpture as well. Most of them were probably church goers.

The Zio was bent, broken, and in pieces all around. The steel was in a similar state.

Zio wasn't supposed to break in that way. The edges should have torn in a more rigid way and the dents shouldn't have been there. Zio only bended when it was melted down and molded. Any dents made would bounce back to the original form and the entire material would have suffered damage. Like glass, this large piece of Zio should have shattered if it was a large impact from a high enough velocity and broken.

Ayami had checked the records before coming over here. This was supposed to be 70% Zio and 30% steel. The metals weren't mixed or anything and nothing was special was done to treat the Zio that could change the molecular structure.

That client list that Ayami gave Eraser Head was going to be useless if Ashita substituted cheaper materials and illegally gave the Zio to a gang to be made into weapons.

Speaking of which, her phone rang, and she pulled it to her ear.

Eraser Head wanted to ask her a few more questions. He was also letting her know that there were going to be policemen watching her house at night, in case the demon gang tries to kill her for being a witness to the prosecution of 5 of the gang members.

He also told her about the fires being set around the city- including the moving truck filled with the tools of Ai Metalworks.

That truck also included all of Ashita's copies of the business records.

14.

Ayami scheduled to meet with Ashita a few hours later.

They planned to meet at the Sunflower bar across town.

Ayami got there early and bought a light drink. The alcohol soothed her nerves.

She sat outside to breathe in the somewhat fresh air. There were plenty of smokers nearby, but strangely, that was soothing. When she was little, her parents used to leave her and Ashita outside bars while they did business inside. Until then, she never considered that those interactions had probably been illegal.

This part of town was less dense than the east side. Aside from this little strip, this part of town was very quiet, and this section was tame compared to downtown.

Ashita was now supposed to be there.

Ayami looked at her phone, keeping her face shrouded in darkness from her hood, and eyed the time.

5 minutes late.

Her gaze moved around the area, looking for Ashita, and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She didn't go out to drink often, but this seemed normal for a bar.

Her phone vibrated. She got a text.

Ash: Where r u?

Ayami: Here.

She looked around, keeping an eye out for her sister or anyone similarly dressed, but didn't see anyone like here.

A woman screamed from the table next to her, and she turned to see a gun pointed at her head.

Ayami pushed the gun away and rolled further away, only to get kicked in the side by someone she didn't expect. Before she could fight back they kicked her again and stood on her, putting their full weight on her back.

Pressure came to the back of her head.

"Move and I'll kill you."

More screams rang out. Ayami watched as a few others were taken hostage.

Shots were fired.

Blood splattered. Ayami couldn't see anything for certain.

People ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

 _Control_

Friday

A force field was set up on the east side of the city.

15 people were taken hostage.

To Eraser Head's dismay, one of them was the biggest lead he had to the guns being smuggled into this city, a murder trial, and potentially an 'in' into the demon gang. She hadn't outright said it, but he had a feeling that she had a solid connection to them. That friend of hers was probably a new member.

And now she was being held at gun point in the middle of the street with 14 other people.

Eraser Head stood next to his friend in the police force, Officer Henry, and watched the situation unfold.

They couldn't get inside the pink forcefield. There was a sniper inside that killed any hero that attempted to get inside. One of their heroes had already died in the attempt.

His body lay dead just outside the barrier.

The demon gang hadn't listed their demands yet. Considering their random shooting that morning and the fires all over the city that day, this could purely be a power move. They just wanted to show everyone that they were in control.

Right now, they did.

"Let Midoria and I go in. We can take these losers out." A familiar hot-heaed voice said nearby, and Eraser Head turned to see two of his old students in their hero uniforms.

Bakugou, as usual, looked angry. He'd heard rumors that Bakugou had cooled off over the years, but judging by the fact he looked ready to beat the hell out of Henry, those rumors were wrong.

"Bakugou, Midoria." Eraser Head greeted, and watched Midoria's face stretch into a grin. Bakugou didn't seem to care. "This is a tricky situation. Last time a hero went in they were shot in the head. They haven't hurt any of the hostages yet."

"If we just stand around, they're going to kill the hostages just like the last two times." Bakugou told him with a glare.

"If their goal was to kill them, they would have already." Eraser Head pointed out.

"If their goal was to let them go, they would have made demands already." Bakugou pointed out.

"One of our friends is in there." Midoria interrupted. "Ayami Toshino."

"Do you know why she was here in the first place?" Eraser Head asked.

"Does it matter? She was probably at the wrong place at the wrong time." Bakugou said agitatedly.

"She's going to be testifying against members of the demon gang. It's possible that they targeted her, and if they did, she might be in danger." Eraser Head said, and watched Bakugou turn to the hostages again.

Ayami had her hands tied behind her back and a gun to her head. Demon Lass was holding the weapon, and the sniper was next to her.

"Fuck this." Bakugou said, and started to go, but Midoria grabbed the back of his costume and pulled him back.

"We need to be smart about this." Midoria argued. "If we run in-"

"If we do nothing, she dies!" Bakugou yelled.

"If we're reckless, everyone including you dies." Eraser Head said.

1.

Friday

Her mother's force field reached to each side of the street, just on the edge of the sidewalk. There was a person to hold a gun to each hostage's head.

Most of the hostages were crying.

There were two big obstacles to the heroes and police officers getting inside: the force field and sniper. Last time someone tried to break in, her mother briefly dropped the force field to let the sniper shoot them. Every other time that an attempt was made to shoot the force field, the bullets couldn't penetrate it.

Ayami was in an impossibly good position. Messing up was death, though.

She was in the middle of the row, her hair held back by Demon Lass, who stood directly behind her. The sniper was to her left (he used to be at the end of the line). In the back, several feet behind Demon Lass, was Moms, who was creating the forcefield.

Demon lass had light pink and purple scales, just like their mother. There was a chance that her scales could break the force field, just like their mother's. If Ayami kicked hard enough, she could send Ashita flying into their mom, and then both of them could hit the barrier. With any luck, that would knock out Moms or at least disorient her long enough to get the heroes and police force in here.

Police were better equipped for guns.

If she was too slow, or her sister too fast, she could end up with her brains on the concrete. Then there were the other dozen armed gang members who could shoot her when they see her move.

She could use her full quirk, but that would out her family…. _Shit, I haven't used my full quirk for years._ She was so used to not using her quirk that in this emergency situation, she doubted she'd be able to. After all the situations of forcing herself to not use her quirk in dire situations….

Then, she heard a voice.

Over behind the police car barricade, she could see Bakugou yelling. Midoria seemed to be holding back, but then, he lost his grip.

Bakugou was running at her.

"Heroes." The sniper next to her chuckled.

Ayami spit her explosive saliva at his face, just before the barrier went down, and then she twisted her entire body and braced most of her body (not her head) with her quirk. Ashita was slower, the gun going off after she'd twisted and pushed the gun out of the way with her head, and then Ayami kicked her with all of her strength.

Bakugou started taking out the other people with guns.

Ashita went flying backwards, smashed into their mother, and both of them went rolling back several meters.

The demon gang started to retreat. Shots rang out, the SWAT team came in in full gear, and the person with the teleporting quirk took away most of the gang.

During the shots, Ayami ducked down and ran, and was pulled over by Eraser Head on the sidelines.

2.

Saturday

Ayami woke up on a cot, in the police station, and pulled out her phone.

3:22 AM.

She was in the break room. After talking to people for hours about what happened, they'd let her sleep in here, with the promise that she'd answer more questions after she woke up.

Ayami called Ashita.

To her surprise, she answered.

"The fuck was that about?" Ayami asked, and let out a sigh as she looked around the room. There was no one else there.

"We weren't going to hurt you. You messed up everything." Ashita said on the other end of the line.

"You tried to kill me and Bakugou. You-"

"Bakugou is a lost cause. He's a moron. If no one had interfered, then we were just going to make an announcement, kill some of the people, and let the rest go. The unnecessary casualties were because of other people messing up."

"You've been messing up, too. You lied to Eraser Head even though you didn't have to. I know that you switched out the Zio metal in the sculptures." Ayami told her.

"The records burned up. You can't prove what materials were in what sculptures."

If Ayami told her that not all the records burned up, then she would definitely come here to kill her.

"If you come out with your quirk, we'll just claim that you're adopted. Mom and Dad have already forged the paperwork, and I already told Tenya. Everyone will just think that you're a misfit related to a demon family. No connection to me."

"... I've spent my entire life trying to keep you safe." Ayami said, and watched as an officer entered the room. He nodded to her and went for the coffee on the counter. "I'm sorry for not being better. I'm sorry you ended up this way."

"I'm not. I'm stronger than you." Ashita said. "And I'm just getting started."

She hung up.

Ayami sighed and turned to lay on her back, ignoring the aches and pains. As she closed her eyes again, she slowly breathed in and out, and fell back asleep.

3.

Tuesday

For several days, Ayami worked with Eraser Head and the police force to compile evidence against the demon gang and Ashita. Ayami provided plenty of evidence, however, she couldn't provide the biggest of them all. She just couldn't do that.

She couldn't tell them that she was related to the Demon Family, or what their real identities were. After keeping them secret for her entire life, she couldn't do that.

Today was the day that Katsuki would move in next door.

He already had the key. Both of them. One to get into the building and the other to get into his apartment.

In the meantime, she needed to sort through the equipment delivery. She'd already moved some of the biggest pieces in, and her Zio delivery came in, too. That meant that she could start new costumes.

4.

Tuesday

Moving in didn't take as much time as he thought it would.

Moving provided a very surreal and odd experience for him. Packing up all of his belongings and moving them to a new location was odd, because he realized a lot of things about his life. Being on probation also added to the new perspective.

Outside of work, he had nothing.

He had a bed. Sheets. Laptop. Phone. Clothes.

His apartment had been completely devoid of decoration and objects for years, and he never noticed or cared. He probably spent more time in his apartment packing than he had on any given week while he lived there.

When he read books, he checked them out at libraries, so he didn't have any of those. His clothes were limited to what he needed.

Even with moving, he had excess energy, and he realized just how much of his physical, mental, and emotional energy went into work. Until now, he never really realized why people didn't understand his schedule or why he didn't date or have aspirations for a family. Now that he had so much free time and saw how little of a life he had… he was a little startled.

Maybe his dad had a point about asking Ayami out.

He was still more interested in beating people up than having a love life, but maybe being around Ayami more often would make his life a little less… simple. Out of all his 'friends', he'd actually rather be around her than them. Most of his 'friends' were idiots or annoyed the living hell out of him.

After getting his belongings inside his new place, he went back to the big room downstairs, and wasn't surprised to see Ayami down there. She was organizing things and seemed to be getting ready for working on costumes.

As he walked down the metal steps, she looked up and flashed him a smile. He smiled back.

"Hey." He greeted, and met her on the main floor. "How's it going?"

"Good. Busy. But good." She said. "I like the distraction. I've been tense ever since the hostage thing."

"Yeah. Same." Katsuki said with a nod. "Do you, uh… want to get lunch?"

"I just ate. Thanks, though."

"Are you free for dinner?"

She seemed confused at first, pausing, and then her eyebrows rose.

"Are you asking me out on a date? Or are you asking as a friend?" Ayami asked.

He shrugged. "Either."

"You're usually not indecisive." She commented.

"I dunno. People keep saying that I like you and that I should ask you out." He said indifferently.

"... do you like me?"

"I dunno." He shrugged.

"Do you go out with girls very often?"

"No. I don't really date."

"Then how about we hang out as friends and see where things go from there?" She suggested. "And dinner sounds good. Can we eat in? Maybe order a pizza and hang out in your new place?"

"Sounds good." Katuski said, and didn't realize just how much he was smiling until he walked away.

5.

Katsuki masterbated for the first time in years.

He rarely thought of people in that way.

6.

She was pretty sure he liked her.

For the first time in a while, she suspected that she had a small crush on him, too. Usually she pushed people away when she felt that way to her, but this time, she couldn't just ignore him.

But then again, she always kept people at a distance for a reason. She didn't want them to be in danger.

7.

Katsuki didn't have work in the morning.

That wasn't good.

Katsuki was good at channeling all of his energy into his tasks and goals, no matter what that goal was. When he trained, he put everything into that. When he studied for tests, he read night and day.

As of the last few years, he focused all of his energy into work. He had a system. He had a schedule. He had specific tasks and plans in order to achieve his goals.

Now… that goal was gone, and he needed something else to focus the entirety of his energy on.

His goal that day: figure out new goals, configure a new plan, and execute that plan.

8.

Wednesday

Ayami took a break for the first time in hours. She went over to her kitchen upstairs, got food, and came back down to eat. Since some of the materials she worked with made strong smells, she opened up the entire wall to let in fresh air.

The space opened up to a small parking area.

She casually ate her sandwich, drank her water, and glanced over at the costume in progress.

9.

Wednesday

Katsuki was going to make her his training partner.

When he wasn't working and training with his coworkers, he could train with Ayami in their soon to be constructed personal gym. There was also enough space in the small warehouse for them to practice hand-to-hand combat. He could even buy them mats to put in.

That night, after not finding her in the shop, he went over to her apartment and knocked on her door.

When she answered, she was dressed in her usual casual clothes.

"I think we should date and train together. We'll live next door to each other for now, set up the gym downstairs, train together, and in a few years we can get married and start having children. You can still stay home to take care of the children while you work on my costume, and I'll continue working as a hero full time." Katsuki explained, still standing in the hallway.

Ayami bit into an apple she was holding, and slowly chewed and swallowed her bite.

"Did you just propose to me?" She asked.

"... no?" He responded.

She bit into her apple again, staring him down, and he suddenly felt awkward. She hadn't invited him inside yet.

When he had planned this beforehand, she'd been much more enthusiastic. He was thinking that she'd be excited like she was when planning his costume.

"No." She said. "I'm testifying against the demon gang soon, and I don't want to get involved with anyone right now."

"You're turning me down because you think I'm weak?" Katsuki seethed and stepped forward, causing her to step back.

He wasn't entirely sure what happened after that. There was a punch thrown, their hands moved every which way as they tried to land a hit, and somehow, Katsuki ended up on the ground with his hands pinned above him. If he wanted to, he probably could have pushed her off, but he instead let her keep him there.

Ayami looked pissed as she loomed over him, holding down his wrists. Then, her anger flickered to confusion, and she looked down at his pants. Her body tensed.

He looked down, too, and was surprised by the discovery. That had never happened in sparring before.

The hands holding his wrists felt nice.

Katsuki was painfully aware of how close they were, and he wanted to bridge the gap between their faces. Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of red, her breathing was rushed, and her chest moved up and down with each labored breath. He wanted to kiss those delectable parted lips.

He loved the hands on his wrists. For some reason, being pinned like this made him unbelievably relaxed. His entire body turned to putty for her, and he so desperately wanted her to mold him to her whim.

Letting her have complete control over him gave him an insurmountable amount of pleasure.

He wanted her to do unspeakable things to him, but couldn't verbalize his thoughts. He wanted her to ravage him, do whatever she wanted to him, and keep him on the ground. He wanted her to have complete control over him, and he had an illogical amount of trust and faith in her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

 _Court_

Tuesday

A little over a week had gone by since Katuski had been put on probation. His boss asked him to come in and talk about coming back.

As Katsuki waited patiently in his boss's office, he was surprised by how long his boss was absent. When he first interviewed for working here, his boss also left for a short period of time, but he wasn't gone for nearly this long.

He calmly looked around the spacious room, briefly entertained himself by looking out the clear window to look at the city, and then pulled out his phone.

1.

Jackson, Bakugou's boss, was confused as hell and wondered if Katsuki was on drugs.

He was calm. Rational. Cool-headed. Collected.

When he left the room, Bakugou didn't anxiously bounce around his office like a child with ADHD. He didn't obnoxiously call after him to come back, or leave the office to find and try to drag him back.

Jackson did this with most of his heroes when he was first testing them, and he found that it was a good way to judge someone's ability to stay cool in tense situations. He had a camera in his office to watch how his heroes acted while he was gone.

Most of the time, heroes awkwardly paced around after a while and accidentally broke one of his purposefully fragile statues. Most of them never came forward, so Jackson had the pleasure of teasing them relentlessly about it for the upcoming years. He could guilt trip the ever living fuck out of most of them.

Bakugou, unlike even the most calm of his employees, just sat in his chair and texted. Perfectly calm. Not a jittery hand, bouncing leg, or any other indication that he was nervous. He was perfectly calm.

 _Did he finally go to a counselor and get medication?_ Jackson wondered. It was entirely possible that Bakugou went somewhere else for treatment, so that no one here would know about it.

After a few more minutes of seeing no reaction, Jackson went back into his office and sat down. Bakugou put his phone back into his pocket.

"So, Bakugou," Jackson said, returning to his seat and scooting himself in to sit upright. "How have you spent the last week and a half?"

"I moved to a new place. Been working on a new costume for work."

"Where did you move to?" Jackson asked.

"A few blocks from here. Do you know where Ai Metalworks used to be?"

"Oh, I love that place. Tenya's wife has a business there. She is the sweetest young lady."

"She recently moved her business, but her sister still lives there and makes costumes. I moved into the extra space on the second floor and hired her for costume designing."

 _Oooooh. A girl._

"Ayami Toshino?" Jackson asked with a smile.

"Yeah." He answered.

"She's a smart girl." Jackson said with a slight nod.

"... yeah." Bakugou said awkwardly, showing the first sign of slight discomfort.

"You start working again tonight. Assuming you don't have other plans."

"No, I can work." Bakugou said.

2.

Tuesday

Ayami was called in for a meeting at the Chariot Agency.

Most of the 10 story building was made of bulletproof glass and steel. She'd been inside a few times, but it had never been as busy as that day.

Heroes had been called in from all over the country.

The villain situation was bad here.

The demon gang had been making a lot of progress. A lot of property had been destroyed, people killed, and threats made. This city was currently the centerpoint of a giant battle between villains and heroes.

Ayami went through the building smoothly, having been here a few times now, and made it up to the 3rd floor without issue.

Since she'd gotten there much earlier than she'd planned, a full half hour, she went over to the lounge to see if there was anyone she knew there. Namely Tenya or Katsuki.

Unfortunately, when she walked into the lounge, her eyes instantly locked with Ashita across the room. Luck was not her friend, as Ashita saw her immediately, and got up.

"Shit." Ayami curse, and contemplated running.

It's not like Ashita could out herself in front of an entire room of trained heroes… would she?

Ayami walked further into the room, trying to act calm, in order to get out of the doorway. She ended up standing next to a wall with see through tile and green plants at the top, which was a little lower than shoulder level.

Ashita looked pissed.

The pregnant and terrifying small woman stopped in front of Ayami, hands on her hips, and glared up at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? You're helping them prosecute me and my business for supposed 'gang ties'!? Why the hell would you do that!?" Ashita screeched, and caused many heroes to look in their direction. "You've also been ignoring my calls!"

Ayami didn't say anything to that. She just stood there, and was grateful when Tenya came over to them.

"I'm your sister! I'm your family! Why would you do that!?" Ashita screeched.

"Considering what I know, do you really want to have this fight here?" Ayami asked her calmly.

"Ayami is right, let's not fight here." Tenya requested, and when he tried to put a hand on Ashita's shoulder, she brushed him off.

"Do you have any idea what I'm going through!? The demon gang burned all of my business records, so I won't be able to defend myself in court!" Ashita screamed.

"Were you dumb enough to think that we only had one copy of all our business records?" Ayami asked. "Our clients have copies of our transactions. I have extra copies. The state has extra copies from taxes."

"That's not enough to help me, and you know it!"

Tenya held her back.

"Honey, let's go outside." Tenya said gently. "This is my work."

"And I'm your wife." Ashita retorted back in a loud voice that traveled across the quieting room. "I'm your pregnant wife."

"I have a meeting to get to. Bye." Ayami stated, gave Tenya a slight nod and left, ignoring the screaming of her sister.

3.

Tuesday

Later that day, she got a call from Tenya.

Ashita was in the hospital.

Ayami sat on her bed, phone in hand, and wondered what she should do. Her sister was in the hospital. Apparently, after she left for the interview, Ashita passed out.

After a few more minutes of deliberation, she got up and got dressed.

"Where are you going?" Katuski asked from bed.

"My sister is in the hospital." Ayami said. "See you tomorrow or late tonight."

He nodded, not saying anything, and watched her leave.

4.

When Ayami got there, she was surprised by all the people in the hospital room.

Tenya's entire family and her parents were there. Mixed in were some of their friends.

Ayami stood outside the hospital room and debated whether or not to enter.

"Ashita is here because of you." Someone said, getting her attention. It was Tenya's older brother, Tensei. He stood behind her with a cup of coffee in hand, just out of view of the room. "She's been extra stressed ever since she found out what you were doing."

"She's been doing a lot of bad things. I never wanted it to come to this, and I gave her every opportunity to stop. She wouldn't listen."

"She said that her business records burned up, and now she can't defend herself."

"She's lying. She's guilty of more than just a few clerical errors. I'm not even coming forward about the worst things she's done; all I've been doing is handing over my copies of business records to the police."

"You had backups?" He asked, and she nodded. "Of all the files that burned up in the fire?"

"Yep."

Tensei slowly nodded, and took a sip of his coffee. He scrunched up his nose slightly in disgust.

"No matter who's at fault, I don't think your presence will make Ashita feel better. I'll let her know that you stopped by to convey your good wishes, and that you didn't stay because you didn't want to upset her."

"... alright. Thank you, Tensei. I'm sorry that your family will probably get caught up in this." Ayami apologized with a nod, and left awkwardly.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't at Ashita's side when she was hurt. Their parents abandoned them when they were young, and so Ayami had been the one to look after her. Ayami made sure they had enough food, shelter, and supplies. Ayami worked while going to high school, she got a business degree so that she could take care of her, and now… she found out that Ashita didn't need that.

 _How long has she been working for them? When I was being beaten, was she working for them?_

Throughout her life, Ayami had been offered multiple times to join a gang or die. She always chose neither.

If Ashita was faced with the option, what would she have chosen?

The better question was: when did she make that decision?

Instead of going home, Ayami pulled her hood up and looked up Ai Metalworks' new location on her phone.

She took a bus to the new location on the northern side of the city. Their old location was in the southern part of the city. The northern section was much more dense and busy than the other sections.

For the ride there, she contemplated calling Eraser Head to see if he wanted to chill. Ever since the investigation really started, he'd started offering to have tea with her on occasion, and said that if she ever needed someone to be with, he was there for her. Since most of her friends were through Ashita, and Ashita was rallying everyone against her, she didn't have many people to fall back on.

Eraser Head was surprisingly good company. He was polite, quiet, and calm. He listened, never judged, and usually gave sound advice.

She could call Katsuki, too. _But he's at work._

This could be a bad plan.

Her hoodie was black. Her pants were plain jeans. Nothing on her to identify her if she got caught on security cameras.

If she used her full quirk, then she'd be completely unrecognizable.

 _Now that's an idea._

Ayami paused, considering that option, and gazed out the bus window at the lights she passed by. She was determined to never out her quirk to the authorities, and since her family obviously felt the same, that meant that she could use her transformation quirk to fight the demon family without people finding out.

When Ayami gets to the shop, she could use her quirk to change her appearance, break into the shop, and investigate the inside. Her quirk would make her look like a giant lizard, just like her family, so if she was reported or caught on camera, they'd think that she was just part of the demon family.

On the bus, she continued planning, and got out when her stop came up.

The bus stop was a sketch one, right next to a plethora of homeless people and an alleyway that reeked of beer and urine. Before any of them could focus on her, Ayami started moving, making her way down the street. She avoided the person who walked in her direction down the street.

She continued for several blocks, and once she reached Ai Metalworks, then she went over to the coffee shop directly across the street.

She bought a cup of non-caffeinated coffee, and went over to a tiny table by the window.

For several minutes, she tried to regulate her breathing. If she did this then she needed to be completely sure.

If her family found out, then they might actually follow through on killing her. Ayami has been working mostly in the shadows, only handing over papers and giving testimony to go after their goons, but not directly going after them.

Going into their shop to search for evidence was a new level.

As Ayami stared at the dark shop, she realized something.

The shop was being watched.

On the street corner there was a hooded figure watching the shop. There was another on the other side of the street.

A shaky sigh of relief left her.

Going in would be too dangerous.

Her phone rang, and she pulled it out to answer.

"Don't do it." Eraser Head said on the other end.

"Do what?"

"Break into your sister's shop for more evidence. Anything you gain illegally won't be admissible to court."

"I'm not going to break in, and how long have you been tracking me?"

"Since you were nearly killed last week. I also got ahold of your phone records. You never mentioned that your sister had been the one to lure you out there. Not that I don't understand, but I hope you understand why I've been watching you a bit closer."

"Does that mean that you've also been having someone follow me as well?" Ayami asked, and looked around.

There was another hooded figure across the cafe. They were facing her, and even though they had a hood up, the lighting was in just a way that let her see who they were.

Tensei.

"No, I-"

"Tenya's brother? Really?" Ayami asked.

Tensei pretended like he wasn't watching her.

"... he wanted to help. He was worried about his little brother." Eraser Head admitted.

She had just told Tensei that she was withholding information from the police about Ashita.

Shit.

Ayami ended the call and stood up. She took her coffee with her as she left, and went back to the bus stop to go home. On her way out, she saw more people watching the shop.

5.

When Ayami woke up the next day, she awoke to a phone call from Eraser Head again.

"Hnng?" Ayami said unintelligently, still under the covers and not awake.

"Are you related to the Demon Family?" Eraser Head asked her.

"What?" She croaked.

"Saliva from a crime scene matched your saliva records from high school. You're related to the demon family. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Ayami didn't answer.

"On top of that, Ashita is claiming that you're adopted, and that the records you're giving us are falsified. She's claiming that you're related to the Demon Family and trying to pin your own illegal activities on her, because you're jealous over her and her parents' relationship."

"Ashita was the one that handmade all of the sculptures. All of her clients will back that up. There's no way that she can argue I made them. She made them, replaced Zio with a different material, and gave the metal to an illegal buyer. She's full of shit."

"Are you denying that you're biologically related to the Demon Family?"

"... I'm not adopted." She said awkwardly, and sighed.

"Why didn't you come forward sooner?"

"Have you watched the news lately? What do you think will happen to me if I out the identity of the Demon Family?"

"Are you Demon Lass?"

"No. I'm not part of the demon gang and I don't work for them."

"But you will lie for them."

"Fuck you. I'm not awake enough for this shit." Ayami said, and glared when she heard a loud grunt against her neck and the pull of her bed buddy. Katsuki didn't seem to want to wake up, either.

"It's 3 in the fucking morning. Who the hell is calling you so late?" Katsuki grumbled angrily.

"So is Ashita and your parents the Demon Family?" Eraser Head asked her.

"Yes. Congratulations, you learned information that can get me killed. Now when you tell the police department, they-"

"We'll need you to come in and make an official statement."

Ayami groaned and hung up.

She pulled the blankets over her head and snuggled closer to the heat source behind her, relishing in the touch of his skin.

Katsuki's phone started vibrating incessantly on the nightstand.

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

Katsuki's phone started ringing. It was his work's ringtone.

With a string of curses, Katsuki turned and reached for his phone, and pressed it against his ear.

He sat up with a start, with nearly knocked Ayami off of the bed.

Ayami looked at her phone.

" **STATE OF EMERGENCY.**

 **Family members and loved ones of heroes are being kidnapped. If you are associated with a hero, stay indoors and hide.** "

There was a second warning below that.

" **ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE DEMON FAMILY:**

 **If anyone announces the true identities of the Demon Family, then all hostages will die**."

"Ayami. I need that costume. You need to get dressed in your costume, too." Katsuki said as he jumped out of bed.

"What's going on?" Ayami asked.

"All heroes are taking their families and loved ones to UA for safety. Heroes are also going to be having a meeting in the school gym to figure out what to do." He explained quickly.

6.

While Katsuki went out to work, Ayami went to the school gym.

Luckily, it was only about half full. Heroes were still pouring in.

As soon as she saw Eraser Head, she pushed through to crowd to get to him on the opposite side of the gym, and he was with other teachers from the school and a police officer. They were all grouped off from the rest, and whenever someone walked up to them, they kindly told them that they'd make an announcement on what they knew soon.

When they tried to do that to her, she cut them off.

"Eraser Head, what the hell?" She demanded, and he quickly took her away from the group, taking her to the sidelines.

"Calm down, this isn't about you." He assured.

"How the fuck is this not about me?" She asked in a low voice.

"The saliva sample I told you about wasn't conclusive. I lied in order to get your confession."

She was about to retort, but then stopped and glared at him.

"There was a rumor going around that it was conclusive, and there was a mysterious fire in the evidence lab. I suspect that the police force has been compromised."

"Did you think that I caused the fire?" She asked.

"If you had, you definitely wouldn't have admitted to what you did."

"Well how many people do you think know about the Demon Family identity?" Ayami asked hastily.

"Like I said, there have been rumors around the police station. Some of the rumors were that we already had the Demon Family identity and were compiling evidence to take them down. I honestly think that this is in reaction to one of those rumors, and not related to you at all. You need-" Erase Head said, but then froze.

All at once, the entire building froze.

Everyone stopped talking.

An eery silence filled the usually loud space, and that silence was deafening.

Ayami looked around, seeing that the entire room had turned to metaphorical stone. No one moved an inch.

7.

"You need to stay here, and…" Eraser Head spoke, but then blinked in confusion.

Ayami disappeared.

She was gone.

"Shit." He cursed, and looked around him wildly.

Around him, he could see scorch marks on the walls, dents the size of bodies all around the room to indicate a body had been thrown, and specks of blood by those body holes. There had been a fight, and by the looks of it, Ayami lost.

Now they knew how the Demon Family escaped all the time. They'd assumed that they used a teleportation quirk for all of their activities, but maybe they used a time manipulation quirk, too.

8.

Out of the group, Ayami was the most beat up.

One of the villains had knock out gas.

She lay on her side, hands bound behind her, and someone was looming over her. They used a calming voice and didn't seem threatening, so she didn't attack. By the sounds of it, they were a hero and trying to calm down the other people.

They were a group of 10 people. Only one of them, a female hero that Ayami didn't recognize, seemed to have any training. The others were civilians and related to a hero. All of them had minor quirks. Ayami was the only one injured.

The ground was cold and hard, like cement. When her vision started to clear up, she could see that they were in some kind of cage with a camera on each corner of the ceiling.

"You're awake." The soft voice above her spoke, and she looked up at them. "It's been a while, Ayami. I haven't seen you since the charity event."

"... Miss Kayama?" Ayami asked, recognizing her costume and long hair.

"Yes. How badly are you hurt?"

"I'll live." Ayami said, and pushed her leg to gain enough momentum to sit up. Her head hurt. "Where are we?"

"Underground. This looks like a fighting arena." Kayama said, losing the softness in her voice and getting serious. "I don't know what their plan is yet. My best guess is that there is going to be a fight, and whoever wins decides our fate."

Ayami looked around the space, understanding why she came to that conclusion. There were caged on the side of what appeared to be a cheap fighting area. The ground looked like hardened dirt, consisting of a large square space with a metal barbed fence all along the sides. The fighting area was elevated, and below, Ayami could see the moving faces of those in the shadows. For the most part they wore masks.

In the center of the fighting area was dark areas she guessed was blood.

"They're not going to let me live." Ayami stated. "Whatever they're planning doesn't look good for us."

"They've also used some kind of drug on me to inhibit my quirk." Kayami added.

"Did you say that your name is Ayami?" One of the hostages asked. She looked over at the question, and was met by an older man in his 40s or 50s. He was sitting cross legged, and wore a sports blazer.

"Yeah. I'm Ayami." She said with a nod.

"You're not by chance Katsuki's crush, are you?" He asked.

"I'm uh… friends with Katsuki Bakugou, if that's what you're asking. He's my neighbor and client."

He grinned at her. "I'm his father. He told me about you."

If the demon gang killed him, Ayami would not envy them. Katsuki would spend the next 10 years exacting out the most brutal and unimaginably painful vengeance against them.

"Katsuki told me that you'd been taken to safety." Ayami said.

"I was… well, I thought I was. They used some kind of crazy quirk to freeze everyone except me." He explained.

"They took me in the middle of the UA gym in front of a hundred heroes. No where is safe with the quirk, apparently."

"Do you think we have any chance of escaping?" Kayami asked her. "I think you're probably the most skilled in the group with hand to hand combat. If we fought, you would have to do most of the fighting."

Ayami sighed and looked around. She didn't see any exits except for a large door on the side of the massive room, which was on the other side of potentially hundreds of villains swarming in the dark space. They were getting antsy and ready for a fight.

Across from them in the arena, she realized, was another group of people. They seemed in a similar situation: 1 hero, the rest being civilians.

9.

There was a video being put out by the demon gang.

In the UA gym, they got it up on a large projector screen so that everyone could see it.

They dimmed the lights.

"The days of heroes are over." A deep voice spoke, and the screen filled with the face of their leader. "We have your friends and loved ones. If you retaliate against us, they die. Your friends and loved ones will die at random, so every time a hero stands up to us, that puts your friends and family in danger."

The video switched to Demon Lass.

"In the meantime, enjoy our new show. We pick 18 civilians from our hostages at random and 2 chosen heroes. They will fight volunteers from our gang for their freedom. If they win, they or someone in their group can leave unharmed."

10.

Ayami cursed under breath, and looked around the room. There were a lot of sadistic grins in the audience and glimmers from opening blades.

"This is going to be a bloodbath." Ayami said. "Kayama, I have the same quirk as the Demon Family and can harden my skin into scales. I'll be able to handle myself better in a fight than you."

"You're not a hero, Ayami. I can't let you do that." Kayama said with a shake of her head.

"Your quirk isn't working. I'm not a hero, but I have training."

"So do I. Trust me, Ayami, I'll be fine. Me and the other hero will fight for everyone's freedom and be fine. We'll start freeing the weakest of the group and go from there." She explained. "If I get too hurt in a fight, then we'll talk about you replacing me. In the meantime, do as I say."

"Do you have anything to defend yourself with in a knife fight?" Ayami asked.

One of the sides of their cage opened up.

"Send in your fighter!" Demon Lass spoke into the speakers.

"Wait!" Ayami tried to quickly get the restraint off of her wrists, so that she could get her guards off to give to Kayama, but she wouldn't wait for her. Before she could get the tough plastic off, the teacher left the cage and stepped into the square.

The door slid shut.

A man walked up some short steps. Another door slid open to let him inside.

She recognized him.

"Kayama, he's one of the people responsible for killing all those women in the city. His arms turn to giant blades and he's fast. Get behind him so that he can't hit you." Ayami instructed quickly, and Kama seemed to listen as she went for her whip on her hip.

Ayami turned her wrists to her quirk form to break them, so that her hands were finally free. The metal fencing keeping her from the battle area didn't have holes big enough to get her arm in, but she could turn her hands into claws and stab anyone that was thrown against this part of the fence.

"If you manage to kick him into this part of the fence, then I can stab him with my claws." Ayami told Kayama quickly.

The fighting started.

The one with metal arms lunged forward first, and Kayama used her whip to knock him onto his back. He quickly cut her whip and rolled back onto his feet.

As he'd been doing that, Kayama leaped forward, jumping off the walls to get more momentum, and managed to kick in the back of the head.

But then, in a blur of moves that Ayami didn't quite catch, the tables turned.

Blood spurted into the air.

Kayama's body fell to the ground.

Her head rolled further.

Most of the people in her group threw up, and Ayami fought to stay still. A cold chill ran up her spine, and she couldn't look away from the terrifying sight.

She'd never seen so much blood.

11.

Eraser Head started coordinating with police to find a way to combat the time quirk user, since they were the key to stopping the demon gang.

12.

Katsuki was absolutely livid.

Ayami and his father were going to be fighting for their lives.

He was damn sure to be in the group of heroes that busted that place up when they found the location of that fighting arena. Once they had coordinates, they would be able to go all in.

13.

Ayami took the guards off of her arms, and activated her quirk. Her scales were large and acted like hundreds of strong teeth. When swung her arm out and had their skin graze her scales in the right direction, she was able to shred them like a cheese grater.

The other hero was killed by the same opponent.

Blood covered most of the dirt ground.

Ayami's door opened. She stepped out, prepping her quirk. Luckily she had fought this opponent in the past and one. She'd try to draw out the fight, giving their beloved heroes more time to find them.

The door slid shut behind her.

She looked forward to training with Katsuki, and hoped that his suit would hold up in the coming fights.

If she won, she'd be having his father released. There was no way that she'd be able to face Katsuki again if she knew that she got his father killed.

14.

The Demon Family turned off their quirk and talked alone, in a room in an undisclosed location.

"You two went ahead of schedule!" The mother yelled at them. "We weren't ready for this yet!"

"Ayami was handing over too much information. We were done for." Ashita told her. "I was done for."

"If you hadn't lied about such a stupid thing, we wouldn't be in this mess. You tipped them off by being careless." Her father accused.

"We're going to be fine, though, right? Everything is going according to plan. We have this city in the palm of our hands." Ashita said. There was a pause. "Just because we're going a little ahead of schedule, doesn't mean anything. We have plenty of power."

"We needed to vet our our hostages better. We had planned to get billions of dollars from the city and run, not just piss them off and give them no way out. They're going to lash out at full force because we haven't given them solid demands." The mother explained. "There's no way we can control all of this. Our best option is to leave."

"What!?" Ashita yelled. "What are you talking about!? We've been planning this for years! I gave up my entire life for this! I married a hero for this- I had children for this- we can't just run after we've come so far!"

"They've already announced a state of national emergency. We have heroes and villains coming in from all over the country to mess up our plans." The mother explained.

"We have bases in other cities. We'll just restart with our son in Haijuko." Her father said indifferently.

Ashita's face fell.

She gaped at him, trying to understand what he was telling her. He had to be wrong.

He wouldn't do that to her.

"But I'm your daughter. I'm your baby girl." Ashita said. "And what about my place in the organization? I worked so hard for this, I-"

"And you fucked up." Her father said, and punched her hard enough to knock her out.

15.

Eraser Head looked up from his conversation in the teacher's lounge when the TV screen changed.

They were with civilian hostages in a concrete room. The walls were barren of decoration or windows. There was a florescent light on the ceiling and at least 20 terrified faces below.

Pops, the head of the Demon Family, was holding the arm of Ashita Toshino. She had duct tape on her mouth and tears were streaming down her face.

"I told you not to retaliate." He spoke, and pulled the trigger.

Ashita's brains covered the wall. Screams in the room rang out.

They switched back to the fights. Ayami was just about to start another fight.

"They just killed Demon Lass." Eraser Head said, awestruck. "I think they know they're going to lose. They might be trying to flee the city- have police officers and heroes block off the main streets and tell all of them to arrest Mr. and Mrs. Toshino on sight."

16.

Katsuki was one of the people sent to the edges of the city to check the cars for Mr. and Mrs. Toshino.

He may have been a little more aggressive than was technically necessary. In his defense, so was everyone else that night.

17.

Ayami got a short break from fighting as they got more civilians to fill the cages.

To her dislike, she wasn't able to get the fights longer than a few minutes. The fighters were strong, and if she dawdled too much with them, then she risked her own life. Unfortunately, the consequences were high.

Everyone on her side, aside from Yakama, survived. Everyone on the other side was killed.

When the new people came into her cage, she didn't recognize any of them, but she did recognize one of the people in the other cage.

Tensei Iida. He was shaking like the rest, but unlike the hero of the group, he wasn't throwing up. Tensei had faced the Hero Killer and lived; he had faced true danger, so Ayami hoped that he would be able to hold his own if his time came to fight.

"Hey," Ayami spoke, addressing her group. "Do you know if the people I released got out safely?"

"They did." One of them said with a nod. "They were on the news. Terrified, but safe."

That meant there was a better chance for authorities to find them.

18.

Katsuki and Midoria stared down a truck driver while the officers shined their flashlights at him.

The driver, a chubby male looking to be in his mid 50s or later, was sweating bullets. He didn't want them to look in the back of his semi truck.

They had orders to search all vehicles, especially suspicious trucks like this.

While Midoria and the others tried to reason and argue with the driver, Katsuki stalked over to the back of the truck and pressed his ear against the metal side. Since the road they were on was packed, and everyone was talking and yelling, he couldn't really hear much.

He continued to the back, and when he found the large metal latch to open the door, he pulled it to the side and pushed the door open.

The door slid upwards, away from him, and he saw what seemed to be an ordinary truck filled with furniture. He jumped up to the ledge and very slowly started walking inside, using one of the flashlights from his belt to look around.

Katsuki was anxious but slow as he moved. He checked every corner, every shadow, and kept an ear out for any sounds near him. With the ruckus outside, it was difficult to discern what sounds were coming from where.

19.

Eraser Head got a call.

They'd had many of the potential kidnappees be armed and wear a tracker in the event of a kidnapping. The time quirk user and his accomplices were now in custody.

They had a location on the hostages.

20.

Tensei had chosen to fight instead of the active hero.

He was able to use his speed for short bursts, just not prolonged periods of time. Thankfully, he was able to take advantage of Aymi's predicament, and kicked his opponent in her direction whenever he could. Every time his opponent hit the fencing by her, they were stabbed by her claws.

Unfortunately, he had a fire quirk, and shot flames at the other group of civilians. Some of them suffered severe burns, and Tensei barely won by knocking him out.

21.

The sun was beginning to rise.

Katsuki had searched dozens of fucking trucks with no luck.

"They found the hostages! They're safe!" One of the police officers announces, and there were sighs of relief all around. Around the blockades, the announcement spread in yells and excited cries.

"What about the fighting arena?" Katsuki asked.

"Not yet."

Katsuki cursed under his breath and went to the next big truck to search. He'd stopped asking for permission before going into trucks like this. He went ahead to check the trucks while Midoria and the others interviewed the driver.

He pulled and pushed the latch open with ease, and pushed the door upward.

This time, instead of furniture, supplies, tools, or other merchandize, there was a bed in the corner. There were decorations in the space, a rug, a night stand, a light, and other 'bedroom' things.

On the bed was a couple.

"Get the fuck out and have your ID ready." Katsuki ordered.

Both of them sat up, seeming startled, and were bundled up in clothes.

"Excuse me?" One of them, a male, asked. He was wearing a large brown coat and hat.

"You heard me. Get out and have your ID ready to check."

"Did we do something wrong?" He asked.

"Someone else can explain it to you. Just get the hell out so that I can search this stupid truck." Katsuki said, and pulled out his phone to double check the wanted photos.

He couldn't see them too well, but these two could be a match for the Demon Family parents.

"Midoria!" He called out, but was surprised when his voice didn't travel and his vision turned to pink.

More specifically, a force field appeared around him.

"It's about damn time." Katsuki said excitedly, and with a manic grin, started attacking the ever living hell out of the field until it shattered, and then went after them full force.

22.

Eraser Head got a call saying that they found the leaders of the gang. Heroes were being called to the northern part of the city.

23.

Something was wrong.

They weren't releasing people anymore.

Ayami was left standing in the middle of the arena, waiting for her prisoner of choice to be released and go back into the caged area, but her door didn't open.

The door letting in more competitors did, though.

The door leading outside also opened. Some people were running out.

Before they started fighting, she used her explosive spit to try and open up Tensei's cage, so that he could get out and either help her or help the others escape. If people were running, she guessed that their heroes were on their way and these guys were just tying some loose ends.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Thank you guys for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I didn't realize that I left this story without posting the conclusion! He's the ending. :)

 **Part 5**

 _Blame_

There were a lot of funerals.

There were a lot of mixed reactions about Ayami's identity.

Some people praised her for fighting so hard to protect other people. A lot of people hated her for being related to the Demon Family that killed so many people.

Now, her building was being vandalized not by gangs, but by pissed off civilians.

To make matters worse, her parents escaped from prison. Ayami was still scheduled to speak against them and others in court.

1.

Ayami was invited to dinner with the Bakugou family.

She spent a little too much time getting dressed for it. She went through her entire wardrobe to find something that would work, and when she finally did find something, she spilled juice on it.

By the time that she got a back up outfit prepared and on, Katsuki was barging into her home and letting her know that they were running late. He didn't give her any words of encouragement or any compliments, which further set her on edge.

"What the hell are you being weird about?" Katsuki asked once they were out the door. Ayami made sure to lock the door behind her.

"I want to make a good impression on your parents. Considering how impossible that is, why should I be worried at all?" She asked sarcastically. She was trembling.

"You saved my dad's life and you give them hope for grandchildren. They love you already."

Ayami made a sound, still nervous, but didn't say anything else. Ever since… everything, two weeks ago, she was a bundle of nerves.

"Chill out." Katsuki said, and put an arm around her. He put his hand in her back pocket.

After they walked down the metal steps and exited the back door, they were surprised to see someone there. Cold fall wind brushed by them, and the door slowly shut.

"Tensei, Tenya." Ayami blurted, and stopped in her tracks. She hadn't seen them in weeks.

"Hey. Sorry for not giving you notice before stopping by." Tenya apologized awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, but we were just on our way out. We're doing dinner with his parents." Ayami apologized.

"Were your parents the reason you never dated before?" Tenya asked, causing an awkward pause. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"... yeah. I didn't want to risk having a family or life while their debt collectors were targeting me."

"You kept everyone away so that you would be a target, and not Ashita. You always kept your quirk hidden, even when it almost killed you, so that she could have a normal life."

He must have seen her recorded testimony about the events leading to the initial murders.

"She took your love and generosity and threw it back in your face. She took advantage of you." Tenya continued.

"She did that to you, too." Ayami pointed out. "How is your daughter?"

"Our brother and his wife are watching her for now." Tensei explained.

"How are you holding up since… the fights?" Ayami asked him awkwardly.

"Not bad. I could be worse. How are you?"

"Can't complain."

There was another awkward pause.

"I know this is a weird question… but how is this affecting your family? Since you're a family of heroes, this must have hit you hard." Ayami asked.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry." Tensei assured. "Let us know if you'd like to visit your niece. After the way you fought to keep all those people alive, including me, our family doesn't harbor ill will towards you. We've also been following the trials closely, and we know that you're one of the biggest reasons that there's so much evidence against the Demon Family. Thanks to you, there's no chance that they'll get off. Visit us anytime you'd like."

"I appreciate that. Thank you." Ayami said. "If either of you guys need anything, or if my niece needs anything, feel free to ask. I want to stay involved."

2.

Late that night, she sat in her window sill and pondered her day.

Katsuki was asleep on her couch, snoring softly.

Ayami wasn't hiding anything anymore.

She wasn't hiding her quirk. She didn't hide her family. She didn't hide her guards. She didn't hide her strength.

She didn't hide herself from other people in fear of them getting hurt.

Even though she had no idea how long this friendship with Katsuki would last, or if it would go as deep as he wanted it to, she was excited to see what would happen. For the first time in her life, nothing was holding her back.

A grin tugged at her lips when an idea formed.

She could travel.

When she looked down the street, she saw that someone with spray paint was coming to vandalize her building again. Briefly, as they got closer, she gave them a friendly wave.

With a startled jump, they turned and ran.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I initially didn't plan to update past the last chapter, since it wrapped everything up (which is exceptionally rare for my stories) buuuut I saw more Boku no Hero episodes, which inspired me to do this little extra chapter.

Again: I haven't read the manga and I didn't put much effort into making the info correct (usually for fanfics I do tons of research to make them as close to cannon as possible), but rather, put more emphasis on storyline. These are for fun. ^^

Thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves! 3

 **Warning:** Sex scene in this chapter. ^^

 **Ai Metalworks 6**

 _Training_

Ayami hadn't been in a space full of so many heroes since high school.

As she stepped onto the bus of heroes, they all turned and looked up at her, one by one.

The powerful stench of a mustard and tuna sandwich wafted up to her from the front row, and the owner was a large man that took up two seats and part of the aisle. He looked up at her, glistening lips wrapped around his Subway sandwich, and yellow sauce dripping down the side of his chin. A large glob fell from the sandwich and landed on his engorged belly. The yellow contrasted with the light blue shirt, which already had matching stains around it.

He stared up at her with big, startled eyes, like a rat caught eating out of a garbage can, and oblivious to his new stain.

As Ayami looked around the bus, other people moved their belongings to any empty seat next to them, and started whispering to the people around them.

"Move it." Katsuki barked from behind her, and sent an angry glare. He was caught with one foot on the stairs and the other on the cement ground.

"Ka-chan! Ayami!" Midoria waved from the very back of the bus. He was sitting next to Tenya, and there were two empty seats across the aisle from them.

Ayami started moving forward again, grateful to be saved from some of her awkwardness, but then stopped halfway to the back when a hand grabbed her right forearm.

The owner was a spandex clad, red and yellow suited woman with large breasts and heavy make up. She had dark eyes and her lips were formed into a deep scowl. Her name was well known in hero circles as Abyss, a very fast and very strong up and coming hero. She was young, smart, and could land a punch rivaling Midoria's.

Her nails dug into Ayami's skin.

"I'm only here because I want to learn how to fight your family. You have the same quirk as them, right?" Abyss asked.

"I have my dad's quirk, not my mom's telekinesis ability." Ayami answered smoothly.

"A lot of people died because of your family. A lot of people are still dying because of them." Abyss stated.

"Fuck off." Katsuki barked behind her.

Abyss's dark eyes flickered to him for a moment, considering his request, then turned back to Ayami.

"You better not hold back in training. I want to see your quirk in action." Abyss said simply, and let go.

Ayami said nothing as she continued her trek to the back of the bus, ignoring the accusatory stares from the other heroes.

Once Ayami reached the back, she smiled at Midoria and Tenya, and then took the window seat. Katsuki loudly tossed his bag to the ground by his seat, taking up half the aisle, and then plopped down in the seat next to her. He spread out, slinking down his seat, and grunted.

His gaze moved around the bus, lazily taking in all the eyes on them, and grunted again.

"Stop staring, you freaks." Katsuki glared, and narrowed his eyes at someone further down the aisle. Ayami couldn't see who he was staring at, but the venom he gave off could rival a rattlesnake's.

The people in front of them turned in their spots and faced them, but didn't seem aggressive. They gave friendly waves to them, and greeted Katsuki by his last name.

One of them was blonde with fair skin, and gave Katsuki an uneasy smile, clearly unnerved by Katsuki's glare. He had an impressive tail that wound into the aisle and had yellow fur at the end.

The other person was someone with a dark head shaped like a bird, and Ashita recognized them readily as a private investigator. He spoke as a witness in the trials against her parents.

"You haven't changed one bit, Bakugou." The blond said.

"Ayami, how have you been doing? You haven't answered my calls." Tenya asked over Midoria and Katsuki.

"I'm fine. How's my niece doing?" Ayami asked.

"She misses her aunt." Tenya replied.

"I'll visit her after this week." Ayami assured.

"This week is going to be pretty crazy. Your hero agency really advertised for you being there." The blond commented.

"Did you guys hear that it's not going to be co-ed sleeping arrangements?" Grape cried out as he arrived, and sat in front of Midoria and Tenya. Sue was sitting in the window seat next to him.

"What?" Katsuki snapped.

"It's going to be terrible." Grape pouted.

"Fuck that. I'm sleeping in Ayami's bed." Katsuki grumbled, and Ayami chuckled.

"I wouldn't try that, Ka-chan. Abyss has a history of nearly killing men who wander into women only spaces." Midoria warned.

"She hits hard, yet her skin is so soft." Grape said in a lofty voice.

Ayami pulled out her phone from her pocket, and perused Facebook.

She was slightly warm that day, given the heavy sun hanging in the sky, and had downed half of her water bottle in Katsuki's bag. Her baggy cargo pants and hoodie with her hero agency's logo covered her guards well, but also caused her to heat up fast.

In order to help with her heating problem, she'd cut her hair to nearly buzzcut, shaved a circle on the side of her head, and dyed her hair bright orange. Katsuki was indifferent, but most of her loose friends and the internet thought she was converting to lesbianism.

Katsuki muttered something next to her and reached for his bag, taking out his water bottle. He drank the last half, and after putting it away, he took his hoodie off. He had a long sleeve shirt on underneath, which breathed nicely, but he was also wearing guards underneath, which didn't breathe nearly as much. For whatever reason he'd chosen to wear all black that day, from black sweatpants to a black long-sleeved shirt and dark red hoodie.

As Ayami scrolled through her notifications, she was mildly annoyed by how many political comments she'd been tagged in.

People were stupid and instead of doing research, wanted her to repeat the same information over, and over, and over again. If she didn't, then she was instantly guilty of whatever dumb thing they were accusing her of.

Dying her hair had helped mask her identity, to a degree. Most people in public mistook her for a man, which she didn't mind.

Ever since the trials ended, Ayami's hero license had been reinstated, and Katsuki's agency recruited her. She didn't actively work as a hero, but rather, helped heroes train.

Like this weekend.

Ayami needed the money and help getting death threats out of her mailbox everyday. Training workshops, like the one she was attending this week, would prove to heroes (and the public) that she was helping apprehend her family, not aiding them.

This week, Ayami would no doubt get the shit beat out of her.

Heroes were _supposed_ to hold back in training with her, but… emotions got high when dealing with a family member of one of the most lethal gang organizations in their country's history.

Ayami switched from looking at her notifications to looking at her inbox.

She had about fifty new death threats as of that morning, and twenty new recruitment offers. In the villain world, there was a rumor going around that she was for hire.

"Why are you on that stupid thing?" Katsuki grumbled next to her, and she glanced up to see him half glaring at her.

"I need to check and make sure none of these are actually important." Ayami answered.

"They never are." Katsuki said, and took her phone from her. He scrolled through her messages, eyes hardening as he read the first few words of each sentence, and then tapped on one.

The message was lewd and specific, providing grotesque details about what they wanted to do to her and her corpse.

Ayami took her phone back, and exited out of her inbox.

Katsuki hadn't been getting good responses from the public, either. All of his coworkers, old and current, were interviewed about his relationship with Ayami. Some claimed they always knew he'd find his way into the villain world, or weren't surprised that he'd date a villain. They described his temper, how unlikable he was, and in some cases, how much they outright hated him.

In addition, Katsuki also got the death threats aimed at Ayami.

Even though Katsuki had calmed down considerably since dating Ayami, he'd grown irritable again when he started receiving death threats.

Katsuki wasn't necessary worried about Ayami's safety. He was annoyed that someone would threaten _his_ girlfriend and think they could get away with it.

To Katsuki's chagrin, they did.

"Ayami, how have you been doing since the other day?" Midoria asked.

"She's fine." Katsuki replied curtly.

"What happened?" The bird man asked.

"She was training with one of the heroes from another county, and he ended up hurting her pretty bad. He used a quirk that turns his blood into blades, and stabbed her." Midoria explained.

"The healer did a good job. I'm fine." Ayami assured, and went back to her phone.

1.

Sunday night

That night, when they arrived at the building, there was food waiting.

The dining hall smelled of beef vegetable soup and bread.

Four long tables filled the room, several old lights hung from the ceiling, and the concrete floor made the room feel cold and dreary. No decorations hung on the walls, and there was a singular small window in the corner.

On one wall, there was a cut out and ledge, where people could line up and get their tray of food. The cooks in the kitchen waved at them in greeting, and welcomed them to "Elks Training Lodge."

This area was commonly used by high-end heroes to train. Hero agencies commonly sent their heroes here for workshops and training sessions.

"It looks like they haven't fixed this place since Katsuki was here last." Midoria commented next to Ayami, and chuckled at Katsuki's glare.

"What did you do?" Ayami asked Katsuki.

"He got angry at me and burned down half of the room. This dining hall used to be really nice." Midoria said, and seeming amused when Katsuki punched his arm.

"Keep talking and there will be nothing left this time." Katsuki threatened.

"Chill, Katsuki." Ayami ordered.

He relaxed ever so slightly, and turned away from Midoria. The heroes were beginning to form a line for dinner, so he moved to stand more in line behind Midoria.

"How do you do that?" Midoria asked her.

"Fuck off, Midoria." Katsuki muttered.

"Katsuki's secretly a softy." Ayami said, and moved to stand behind him. As the line moved, she hugged him from behind, and kissed the back of his shoulder.

Katsuki didn't argue her, instead focusing on the line.

1.

Sunday night

After an average dinner and odd conversations with Katsuki's old classmates, they went their separate ways.

Katsuki grumbled the entire time, muttering about going to Ayami's cabin in the night, with or without her permission. As much as Katsuki tried to act macho and independent, he'd become reliant on her company. When he was far away from her for too long, he'd become increasingly irritable and angry with the people around him.

Katsuki didn't like most people.

As he walked with Midoria, Tenya, and Fumikage, he largely ignored whatever the hell they were talking about.

The area they walked was heavily forested, but the dirt path was well traveled. They were surrounded by tall looming trees, the occasional cherry tree blossoming, and strange shrubs with tiny red berries.

Their small cabin was one of the furthest from the main lodge. Midoria had the map with them, and guided them to the correct place. Their walk was a good ten minutes, and when they arrived, realized that they didn't have a bathroom.

There were two outhouses in the area, one on the girls' side and other on the boys'. The boys' one was by the lodge, and the girl one was on the other side of the cabin closest to theirs.

"We should probably do a bathroom run before going to sleep." Tenya suggested.

"Fuck that, I'm going to use the girl's one if I need to piss in the middle of the night. It's the same toilets." Katsuki stated.

"Katsuki, you can't do that!" Tenya yelled at him.

"They would kill you." Fumikage added.

"As if I care." Katsuki replied with a shrug, and walked up to their cabin, labeled "29".

He pulled the door open and walked inside, unimpressed. There were two bunkbeds, one on each side, and four cots for them to sleep on. The cabin was clean but old, having obvious scrapes in the boards. One of the windows had a considerable crack in it.

Midoria came up from behind him, and turned the light on.

The cabin became even less impressive, somehow.

Katsuki tossed his bag to the top of the right bunk, and walked to stand in the middle of the room.

"The Mt. Yener lodge was a lot nicer." Katsuki commented.

"The housing isn't great, but the equipment is worth it." Midoria assured.

"If you weren't here, what would you be doing, Katsuki?" Tenya inquired.

"Not be around you losers." Katsuki replied, and pulled out his phone from his pocket. He texted Ayami, asking which cabin she was in and who her cabin mates were.

"You and Ayami have been getting pretty close. How is your relationship going?" Tenya asked.

"None of your business." Katsuki replied.

He already had to deal with strangers asking about his personal life on a daily basis.

Ayami replied to his text, but not with the answer he'd been hoping for.

She wasn't going to tell him what cabin she was in.

Around him, Midoria and the others unpacked their belongings and got ready for bed. To their dismay, there were no curtains, and Fumikage especially got weird and uncomfortable.

"I have an extra blanket we can hang in front of one of the windows." Tenya offered to Fumikage, and held up a rolled up blanket in his hand. Midoria also had an extra one, but that only covered two out of four of the windows.

"As if anyone wants to see you naked. Just change." Katsuki said with a roll of his eyes, and tossed his phone onto his bed.

"Not everyone is comfortable being undressed in public. I'd rather have some form of curtain, too." Tenya admitted.

"Whatever." Katsuki said, and grabbed his shirt from the back of his collar. He pulled his shirt over his head, having to pause when the fabric briefly snagged, and once the fabric was clear, pulled it the rest of the way off.

Katsuki then reached for his duffel bag and pulled out his pajamas, and set them on Midoria's bed.

"When did you start wearing guards out of your hero costume?" Midoria asked.

"Since none of your business." Katsuki answered, and started to unstrap his gear. One by one, he unstrapped the metal gear, and tossed them into his duffel bag. Once he'd successfully stripped, he changed into pajamas, ignoring the concerned looks sent his way.

"It's not healthy to wear things like that so often." Midoria commented.

"It's not healthy to be an idiot, yet you do it all the time." Katsuki retorted.

"This is serious, Katsuki. You've been through a lot over the last few months. You should talk to someone about it." Tenya told him.

"You're the one with a wife who killed a bunch of people for a gang. Leave me alone." Katsuki told him, and reached for his phone again. He texted Ayami again, hoping that she'd change her mind.

A few seconds later, she responded with the same answer.

She didn't want them to get in trouble, despite the fact that there would probably be no consequences. They were all adults.

"How has Ayami been coping?" Tenya asked.

"She's fine." Katsuki answered, and then climbed onto his bed. As he set up his sleeping bag, the others tried to get him to talk, with no success.

2.

Sunday night

Ayami watched the shadows at the late hour, ready for any attacker.

The girls bathroom was a five minute walk from her cabin, and she didn't bother waking up anyone from her cabin for the late night trek. She'd foolishly not gone to the bathroom when her cabin mates went as a group.

Her steps were hurried as the cold air clawed at her skin, and she could see her breath.

A twig snapped.

She moved faster.

There was little light to illuminate the pathway to the bathroom, rendering most of her walk in darkness.

Her fear was ridiculous, and she knew that, but that didn't stop her imagination from running wild.

She remembered Kayama's disembodied head all too vividly.

She went faster.

When she reached the marked bathroom, poorly lit in the shadowed forest, she ran to it as if she were running for dear life.

She ran into one of the stalls and shut the door behind her, causing a loud sound to disturb the quiet night.

She breathed hard, trying to catch her breath, and squeezed her eyes shut.

Her hand lingered against the wooden door, pressing it shut, and she flattened her palm against the textured surface.

A hitched sound left her as her chest spasmed and convulsed. The residual injury from the other day made its presence known, and as a slight scraping sound met her ears, she looked up to see that her hand had turned into a claw. Her nails dug into the wood, creating new, light lines in the old wood. Tiny splinters came up and fell to the ground as she quietly clawed at the door.

Her lungs burned, trying to regain her breath, and pain surged through her abdomen.

She closed her eyes again, and remembered all too vividly that alley.

All of that blood.

Those men standing over her.

They didn't let her live. They left because they thought they had killed her.

She was alive because of dumb luck, not mercy, and she didn't know if that was better or worse.

They claimed that her heart stopped.

Kayam's dead eyes stared at her in the depths of her mind, wondering what she'd do next, and watching every move that Ayami made.

After a long time of standing there, consumed by her memories, she finally regained enough self control to recall her original reason for being here.

She pulled her pants down and sat on the yellowed toilet seat, wishing that she could forget everything that happened.

3.

Monday morning

Katsuki woke up from a nightmare that morning.

Beads of sweat coated his skin.

He looked around for Ayami in a panic, not finding her next to him, and searched wildly around the room.

After a few seconds of fearing the worst, he let out a sigh of relief.

His heart still thudded in his chest and his breathing was irregular, but he started to come down. His hand instinctively reached for his phone, and he texted Ayami.

As the cold air crept up on him, he pulled the sleeping bag back over his legs and hid back inside, keeping his phone by his face. He waited impatiently for her response, and flinched when someone's ringtone went off somewhere in the room.

"It's a wonderful morning!" Tenya cheered as he sat up, and promptly cried out in pain when his arms hit the bunk above him. He reached over to his phone on the ground, and turned off the alarm.

Katsuki quietly glared from his spot, hating how chipper Tenya looked.

"Are you guys ready for today's training?" Tenya asked them.

"Are you ready to fuck off?" Katsuki asked.

"Are you ready to come up with better responses?" Fumikage countered.

Katsuki's phone vibrated, getting his attention again.

 _You're such a loser. You woke me up lol._ Ayami messaged, and he smiled.

 _I would have slept longer if you'd been in bed with me._ Katsuki replied.

 _As if you would have slept at all last night, if I'd been in bed with you._ Ayami replied.

Katsuki's mind briefly went to their usual activities in bed, imagining her full breasts in his hands, and gently pinching those sensitive nubs. The pull of his hair, pushing his head down into the pillow, and her hips grinding on him in the best ways. HIs hands moving from her breasts down the curves of her waist, and then slipping beneath the band of her underwear.

He really wished that she had told him which cabin she was staying in.

"Katsuki, breakfast is going to start in an hour. You should shower before then." Midoria suggested.

"I plan to." Katsuki said, very aware of the time. He'd memorized the schedule for every day that week.

Monday, would start with breakfast and go straight into a lecture given by one of the police officers in charge of apprehending the Demon Family. Since the theme of the week would be about dealing with gang violence, they would be listening from multiple police officers giving accounts of their interactions with the Demon Family.

After spending the first half of the day listening to lectures, they would have lunch, and then shift to sparring sessions.

Tuesday would again have the first day dedicated to lectures, and the second half focus on 'personal training utilizing lodge equipment.'

The rest of the days were variations of the first two days, with minor differences. On Thursday and Saturday, they would be doing sparring sessions.

4.

Monday morning

Ayami, Ochaku, Sue, and Momo sat together at the end of the furthest table.

Eyes glanced uneasily in Ayami's direction, some challenging her as if wishing she'd attack, and others looked away as soon as she looked up in their direction.

Ayami wore the same cargo pants, hoodie, and guards as the day before. The extra layers were nice against the brisk cold of that morning, and her muscles were sore from all the exercise. She'd gone on a jog and quietly did crunches and push ups while the others slept.

Ever since her bathroom sprint, she couldn't stop moving.

Even as she sat there, with oatmeal, toast, and a banana in front of her, her middle finger tapped against the table anxiously. Her stomach whined in company with nausea. Just the thought of consuming food felt grotesque. She just wanted to move and distract herself.

"You were out pretty early this morning." Ochaku commented across from her.

"I like to exercise." Ayami shrugged, still staring at the oatmeal. She reached for her spoon, set it in the bowl, and started to stir slowly.

"You'll tire yourself out if you work too hard at the beginning." Sue commented.

"I know where my limit is." Ayami said simply.

"So you work for the Chariot Agency now, right? Are you a licensed hero now?" Ochaku asked her.

"Technically yes, but I don't work as one. I mostly just help heroes train and assist in workshops like this. While everyone is in lecture I'm going to be helping set up the workout equipment, and then I'll be overseeing the personal training to help if I can. Most heroes have their own training regime figured out, so they'll ask me questions about the Demon Family and methods to protect themselves against them. Sometimes they'll ask to spar with me, which the agency allowed until recently. At the Agency HQ I sometimes pick up odd shifts like clean up, and at the workshop this week, I'll sometimes be working in the kitchen." Ayami answered.

"Are you happy there? It must be nice working with your boyfriend." Ochaku asked.

"It's fine." Ayami shrugged.

"I'm amazed that you're able to do workshops like this so often. It must be pretty intimidating. There must be a lot of heroes who are upset over what your family did." Sue commented.

"Well… Ai Metalworks, the old shop I used to run with my sister, burned to the ground and there's no chance of me running a successful metal business now. Chariot Hero Agency is probably the only place willing to hire me, and they're flexible with schedules. The pay is good and the people are nice enough." Ayami answered.

"What do you see in Bakugou?" Momo asked, speaking for the first time.

"He's strong. He's a good partner." Ayami answered simply.

"There are plenty of strong men who aren't jerks out there. Why Bakugou?" Ochaku further inquired.

"Katsuki isn't that bad when we're alone." Ayami answered, and then felt a presence behind her.

"You talking about me?" Katsuki asked, rubbing his hand through her hair and then tilting her head to look up at him.

She looked up into his tired red eyes, and could tell that he didn't get much sleep, either. He probably had another nightmare.

"Yeah, I was telling them what a loser you are." Ayami joked, and he made a soft 'tch' sound.

"Move." Katsuki ordered Sue, and then sat down next to Ayami. His arm went around the back of her waist, his hand meeting one of her loops, and he hooked his thumb into it. Once he was settled, he took a bite of his oatmeal with his free hand.

"How did you all sleep?" Tenya asked cheerfully as he took the empty spot next to Momo. Like Katsuki, he wore simple black shorts and a hoodie with their agency logo on it.

"I slept fine. How about you?" Ochaku asked.

"I slept great. I love being in nature, away from the busy streets of the city." Tenya answered, and then looked to Ayami. "How'd you sleep?"

"Did you even get any sleep, Ayami?" Ochaku asked with a smile.

"I got some." Ayami answered.

"What kind of training regime do you two have? Ayami mentioned that you two work out together." Ochaku asked, looking between Katsuki and Ayami.

"Ayami's old metal shop was turned into a workout area. When we're not working, we're either working out or Ayami is working on our gear." Katsuki answered between bites.

"So which of you is stronger?" Momo asked.

There was a pause, and Ayami was honestly surprised that he refrained from blurting about being the stronger one.

Instead, Katsuki tensed, and he sent a half glare Ayami's direction.

"Since Ayami never fights to her full potential, we don't know." Katsuki answered.

"What do you mean?" Midoria asked as he arrived. His hair was still sopping wet. The idiot held the door for other people so long, that he ended up at the back of the line.

"I don't use my full quirk in public. Katsuki thinks that it is holding me back." Ayami answered.

"You've never used your full quirk before?" Tenya asked.

"I avoided it most of my life to keep people from finding out who my parents were. I activate my quirk in sections on my body to brace impacts and cause damage, but I don't have my quirk activated all over my body at once." Ayami explained.

"That sounds like how I started using my quirk. I found that spreading out my quirk over my body helped me better control it and reduce the number of injuries I received." Midoria commented.

"If she did that, then she probably wouldn't have gotten stabbed the other day." Katsuki said pointedly.

"His blades were sharp enough to penetrate my gear. He would have skewered you in seconds if you had fought him, quirk or not." Ayami retorted.

"Your scales were strong enough to not be cut. If you'd activated your full quirk, you would have won." Katsuki retorted back.

"Maybe if you had used your full quirk against-" Ayami started to say, but then stopped herself.

That would take things too far.

"Against who, Ayami?" Katsuki asked with narrowed eyes.

"Just stop hassling me about the quirk thing, alright? I'm going to go ask the staff if I can start setting up equipment." Ayami said, and stood up to leave. She didn't look back at the group as she left, and avoided all the extra stares in the room on her exit.

4.

Monday morning

A little while later, Ayami sighed as she set down a heavy box from the truck.

The equipment was heavy, and in some cases, fragile. Most of them had to be carried by two people, simply because of the way they were shaped and the negative repercussions if they were dropped.

Her fellow agency workers were silent as they worked. When she went to carry one of the boxes to the gym, she'd overhear them start to joke around and laugh with one another. As soon as she came within eyesight again, they'd stop.

"Can you carry that over to the gym?" One of them asked. His name was Jared, and the closest thing he had to a quirk was heightened strength. His hair was black and pulled back in a low pony tail, and his face long and narrow.

Jared was pointing to a box on the ground, which was labeled as "GYM". Each box was labeled with the location for where they were supposed to go, along with what equipment they were supposed to be part of.

"Sure." Ayami said, and crouched down to pick it up.

The box was particularly heavy, so she activated her quirk in her legs, and then lifted. As she walked over to the gym nearby, she heard the men talking again.

"I see it now." One of them said.

"No wonder Katsuki is dating a bad girl. She must be bad in the sheets." Jared commented.

Ayami rolled her eyes as she walked, and when she got inside the gym, located the similarly marked boxes. They had red tape on them and were across the room in the corner.

Her stomach twinged in pain, and she ignored it.

She wasn't sure if it was a leftover pain from her fight the other day or skipping her breakfast, but either way, she had no intention of addressing it. All she wanted to do was earn her paycheck.

Once the box was with the other matching ones, her phone started to ring in her pocket. She reached for it, and was surprised to see "EH" was calling her. She answered and pressed it against her ear.

"I wanted you to hear it from me before you read it somewhere else. It turns out that your sister is alive. The autopsy just matched the woman's body to someone who went missing six months ago. Someone used a quirk to change her appearance before shooting her." Eraser Head explained.

Ayami glanced over at the door, watching as Jared and another started to bring in boxes from outside.

"Thanks for letting me know." Ayami said, and then hung up.

She stood there for a second, resting her phone against her lips, before setting the phone back in her pocket and getting back to work.

Ayami had honestly believed that Ashita was dead.

Now that she wasn't… she didn't know what to think.

Her entire family was alive and working in the villain underworld, pulling strings and strengthening the underground gangs. With regards to Ashita, Ayami had written her off as a civilian casualty.

A civilian that did dumb things to appease her parents… and betrayed her sister.

Ayami pushed herself harder, moving the boxes that were probably a little too heavy for her, and tried to channel her emotions into her work.

5.

Monday afternoon

After listening to boring lectures for hours, Katsuki and his group left to go train.

As they walked, Midoria and the others looked at the map and the different training services they offered here, and Katsuki pulled out his phone to text Ayami.

Heroes didn't bother her as much when he was around. Even just being within eyesight of Ayami made the heroes, particularly men, second guess their words before speaking. Harassment was unavoidable, but he could limit it a little, at least.

" _Where r u stationed?"_ Katsuki asked her.

" _I'm in the infirmary right now. Sprained my wrist."_ Ayami answered several seconds later.

"Ayami is in the infirmary. Later." Katsuki said, but then noticed that Tenya was staring at his phone with wide, terrified eyes.

"What's wrong, Tenya?" Midoria asked him.

"Ashita… she's alive." Tenya said, then looked up at Katsuki. "You said that her sister is in the infirmary?"

"... yeah. She sprained her wrist." Katsuki answered.

"I'd like to speak to her. Let's go together." Tenya stated.

"... alright." Katsuki replied.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Midoria asked.

"I'd rather speak to Ayami alone." Tenya said darkly. The contrast from his bright and chipper self was stark, and Katsuki was caught off guard by how different he looked.

The only time Katsuki remembered him having that look in his eye was when he learned about his brother being attacked by the Hero Killer.

6.

Monday afternoon

The room had become tense since Tenya arrived.

The infirmary was small, with only two beds. There were about six different people with healing quirks who had first aid kits ready to help the heroes training, and they were all standing at their stations, ready to help.

Katsuki had left not long after arriving. Tenya made it painfully obvious that he wanted to speak to Ayami alone.

Ayami sat on the bed with her legs crossed beneath her and left arm in a sling. Her wrist wouldn't be healed for a few hours, and the healer had noticed her slight haziness. He ordered her to eat a big lunch after their meeting.

Tenya was still as he stood by the window, gazing out into the forested scenery with his hands in his pockets. The room was eerily quiet and empty.

They hadn't really talked since Ashita's 'death.' Sure, they talked about Tenya's daughter, but… they mostly didn't talk about Ashita.

"My brother, Tensei… he keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault." Tenya told her.

"About Ashita secretly being a Zio smuggler?" Ayami asked.

"Yeah… and everything else. I keep thinking back on my life with her, and all the signs I missed. All of the strange gifts from her clients, her high paying clients asking for such terrible artwork, the way her parents acted… there were so many signs, and I missed all of them. I think I did see them, and I knew what she was, but I didn't want to admit it." Tenya explained.

Ayami sighed.

Between the two of them, Ayami was the one that should have 'seen the signs.' She knew what her parents were, she owned the business with Ashita… she should have known.

Ayami spent so much time protecting her, that she didn't realize how much of a danger Ashita was to herself.

"Has Katsuki given you pep talks? Telling you that it wasn't your fault, and things like that?" Tenya inquired.

"No. We just fuck a lot." Ayami answered, and didn't miss the blush on Tenya's cheeks as he looked away.

"I didn't realize your relationship was that shallow. That and training seem to be the only things you two do." Tenya commented.

"Katsuki and I have had close calls. Situations where we could have died… we spend our time trying to keep that from happening again." Ayami said simply.

"For most of your life, you kept people at a distance because you didn't want them to get hurt. You lied to everyone around you. Now that everything's in the open, you don't have to do that. You don't have to be a hero, or fight, or any of that. You could start a new life, find someone that makes you happy, and start a family. You could fall in love." Tenya told her.

"... like you did?" Ayami asked. As she said the words, she hated that she had to utter them, but Tenya wouldn't understand otherwise.

"I have a beautiful daughter that I love and adore. I don't consider that a loss." Tenya told her.

"Ashita manipulated you, used you, and tarnished your entire family's hero reputation. Your house was taken from you, most of your home confiscated, and your daughter will grow up knowing that her mother is a criminal." Ayami summarized.

"I followed my heart. Even though Ashita was a criminal, I don't think she was all bad. There's only so much about a person's identity that you can fake." Tenya replied, looking strangely relaxed.

"I don't want to put myself through the pain of falling in love and them losing them again." Ayami said, surprising herself.

"If you spend all of your time alone and fighting… what kind of life is that? Is that really how you want to live?" Tenya asked her.

Ayami looked away, unsure how to answer that.

She'd never imagined a life without Ashita by her side.

Ayami always thought that it would be her and her sister against the world. Two sisters, abandoned at a young age, and looking out for each other. Starting a business together. Working together.

Ashita was the one that was supposed to have the good life. Ayami was supposed to help make that happen and enjoy the happiness in her sister's eyes.

"There's more to life than fighting, Ayami. Just keep that in mind." Tenya said, and looked out the window again.

Ayami looked down at her phone, and turned it on to the main screen. She navigated to her pictures, and looked at the old photos of her and Ashita.

Smiling.

Happy.

7.

Monday night

Late that night, past midnight, Katsuki and Ayami met up at the girl's bathroom.

He brought a condom with him.

They went to the back of the cabin, where no light could reach them, and gravitated to each other in a searing kiss.

Katsuki pushed her against the wall, pinning her with his body, and slid his hands up and down her sides.

"That's not how we play." She whispered huskily.

"We do tonight." Katsuki whispered back, and leaned down to kiss her again. He kissed her fully while reaching for her breast and moving his hand down her underwear, moving his fingers along her wet folds, and felt her entire body relax against him.

He wanted so badly to be inside her.

They were quiet as they moved, and Katsuki made sure that he kept the upper hand.

He needed to be in control that night.

He made her squirm, pant, and writhe against him. Every touch, every kiss, every bite elicited a response that went straight to his groin.

And, that night, she let him. She gave him full control, letting him do whatever he wanted to her body.

But then, a twig snapped, and they both turned to stare into the darkness.

"Shit." Ayami breathed against him.

After several seconds of staring into the darkness, Katsuki could see nothing; that is, until they moved.

The person got up and ran at full speed. Judging by their size, his only logical guess was Mineta. Unfortunately, knowing Mineta, he probably didn't go far. If Katsuki and Ayami continued, they'd have a peeping tom.

"Told ya… we'd get caught." Ayami breathed into his neck, and Katsuki tightened his grip on her.

He wasn't at a point where he could just stop.

He thought about going into the bathroom and finishing in one of the stalls; but then, he heard the loud sound of someone flushing behind the wall they leaned against, along with the giggling of several girls inside.

"I could tell everyone in my cabin to leave." Katsuki suggested.

"Are there any curtains?" Ayami asked.

"... yes." He lied.

"We can go a week without sex. We'll be fine." Ayami said, and he gave her a half glare, and ground himself into her core. To keep her from making a sound, he leaned down and kissed her, intoxicated by the heat she gave off.

Then, she reached her hand down into his pants, and he moved his mouth to her neck, breathing hard. He bit down onto the nape of her neck as her hand ghosted over his length, keeping the cloth of his boxers between him the warm appendage.

"Stay quiet." Ayami whispered.

He bit into her neck, and then kissed the tender flesh, and bit again when her hand made contact with his flesh.

Being inside her would have been preferred, but for now, her magical hand would do. Her calloused fingers tentatively moved up and down his length, rubbed along the head to lubricate his sensitive cock, and then moved back down his shaft.

He bit down to prevent himself from groaning.

The girls inside the bathroom kept laughing and talking.

Ayami moved up and down his length, starting a rhythm that involved palming the head of his member to lubricate the rest.

Katsuki had originally planned to stay in control this session.

He could barely stay in control of himself; staying quiet was near torture.

When he tasted copper, he hesitantly removed his teeth from her, lapped up the bleeding flesh, and then moved to a non-bitten portion of her neck.

His hips moved into her hand, wishing her to go faster, and he bit down to keep from groaning when she picked up her pace.

After another agonizing minute of this torture, his taught belly finally unwound, and his body chasmed in orgasm.

He moved along her neck, breathing against her, and placed kisses along every section of skin he could find. His lips left trails of saliva around her neck, along her jaw, her cheeks, and lips.

His hands moved to her cheek, holding her gently, and he kept giving her soft fluttery kisses.

She was amazing.

Even though he couldn't see her well, he could see enough of her features to be reminded of how gorgeous she was. How her beautiful brown eyes looked like swirling hot chocolate on a cold winter day, her long lashes framing those gorgeous brown orbs, and then cute lips that parted when she was hungry for him.

She was the only person he didn't mind losing to.

"Thank you." Katsuki whispered, feeling impossibly relaxed as he leaned against her. All of his anger, agitation, and frustration melted away, and his affection for her increased with every kiss he was able to give.

"Did you hear that?" One of the girls asked by the front of the bathroom entrance.

"Do you think it's a pervert?" Another guessed.

Ayami stilled against him.

"I heard breathing. I think someone is back there." One of them said.

"Run." Ayami whispered in his ear, and started to guide him away. One of her feet stepped on a twig, breaking it, and confirming their presence.

"Come out here, you perverts!" Someone yelled; immediately, Ayami and Katsuki ran off and separated, going to their respective cabins.

8.

Tuesday, early morning

As Ayami jogged around the trails, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the thought of her sister.

She wasn't dead.

Her feet hit the dirt path, over and over again, in a steady rhythm. Her skin was slick with sweat, eyes slightly blurred, and her breathing ragged.

The night sky was still transitioning to morning, with only a subtle light illuminating the dark trees. An array of stars still filled the sky, morning birds were beginning to chirp and explore, and morning dew blanketed the world around her.

She kept expecting to see Kayam's head roll out of the shadows.

For someone to jump her.

As she ran, she crossed paths with Jared, and gave him a friendly nod in passing. He ignored her and jogged past muttering the word "villain" under his breath.

She kept down the winding path, through the thick flourishing trees, and down a hill. When she got closer to a stream, she noticed that there was a group of people by a creek.

"Hey!" They called to her.

Ayami wanted to ignore them, and continue on her path, but one of them ran to stand in front of her. She slowed to a stop, her eyes locking with Abyss, and she tried to hide the fatigue that tugged at her tired muscles.

"What are you doing out here so early?" Abyss asked, her eyes narrowed as she approached.

Four other women circled Ayami.

"Jogging." Ayami answered between her ragged breaths.

"Are you meeting someone out here? A villain, maybe? Maybe your sister?" Abyss asked as she stepped closer, her dark eyes glaring daggers into Ayami's.

Abyss was a few inches shorter than Ayami, and even though Abyss squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest, she didn't intimidate Ayami. The younger woman was trying to prove herself in the hero world, which was mostly men, and probably had to overcompensate regularly to prove her worth.

Ayami stood her ground, unmoving, and unflinching from the scrutinizing glares.

"I know what you are. You come from a family of villains. It's in your blood. No matter what you do, you will always be a villain at heart." Abyss said.

"I don't care what you think of me. All I wanted to do was jog." Ayami said.

A powerful punch met her gut, and Ayami keeled over, gripping Abyss for support.

Ayami was pushed to the ground, and she curled up into fetal position and activated her quirk for her head, back, and legs, as the group started kicking her.

"Fucking armadillo. Maybe that should be your villain name." Abyss said, and spit at Ayami's face.

After a few more kicks, the small groups of heroes walked off, smirking triumphantly with a sway in their step.

Ayami stayed curled up after they were gone, in case they would return, and only deactivated her quirk once she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore.

She let out a shuddered breath, and reached for the bottom of her abdomen guards. She quickly unstrapped her gear, releasing herself from the now bent garment, and then reached for her lower left abdomen.

A sharp pain shot through her, and she shuddered, letting out a small groan.

She could feel warm liquid in her hand, streaming through her fingers, and looked down at the injury.

For how bad the wound used to be, this wasn't too bad. Abyss just opened up the wound, but it would be easy enough to fix.

Ayami's eyes went to the unstrapped guard, where the powerful metal was now bent to the shape of Abyss's knuckles, and she was grateful that she still wore her guards so often. A hit like that could have killed her.

She would keep her head for another day.


End file.
